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The necessity and efficiency of a well-designed onboarding program is undeniable. In addition to the individual design of an onboarding program, the presentation and marketing of the activities in this context differ, with potential indications of onboarding strategies. The thesis aims to investigate the communication of onboarding-relevant content by German companies to detect characteristic indications of two controversial onboarding strategies – the Cold water and the Babysitting approach. In this context, the following research question was established: How do German mid-sized companies present their onboarding activities?
The research is based on communication content, whereby the qualitative content analysis according to Mayring was applied which provides the basis for subsequent analyses investigating linguistic and industrial interrelationships. The study was performed on the 50 MDAX-listed companies as a representative of all German corporations.
The qualitative examination revealed a strong preference towards the Babysitting approach. Here, linkages were identified regarding a segmentation of the onboarding content by target groups based on entry and experience levels, supporting the detailed presentation and implementation of this approach. Also, the address towards potential candidates of these companies was increasingly characterized by a personal 'Du' address. These findings support the associated perception of the employer as employee- oriented and are thus coherent with the characteristics of this approach. Indications of the Cold water method were found more among innovative industries. The analysis also demonstrated the use of existing employees as transmitters regarding onboarding relevant content, with storytelling and blogs emerging as the primary channels of communication of Cold water corporations. Additionally, the communication of general rather than specific onboarding topics supports the characteristics of the Cold Water approach, as the onboarding phases are non-prestructured and the responsibility of a successful integration lies with the new employee.
This paper includes a brief summary of the theoretical background on onboarding and links the findings to modern trends. To answer the questions about expectations and needs of young employees survey results of a study conducted with over 400 participants between the ages of 18 and 27 will be evaluated. The results show that onboarding practices are highly expected by young adults and that integration is of very high importance for the age group. According to the survey results, onboarding programs can also help organizations improve their attractiveness as an employer. Furthermore, the open-ended questions of the survey provide detailed information on which specific measures should be included in an onboarding process. With the use of theoretical knowledge, the findings from the survey and results of a survey with department heads of the company, an onboarding process for Bürstner GmbH & Co.KG was developed. The plan includes specific steps from before the first working day, to the first weeks in the company until the end of the probationary period. Measures include a new employee profile, an initial training plan, a learning management system based online course and more. Through a transferability check of the process, it is concluded that many aspects can be transferred to other organizations; subject to adaptions. In the future further studies and employee feedback examining the onboarding measures, will have to be carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed onboarding process and provide more insight into current trends.