The socialisation experience of newcomers from overseas in the Australian workplace

Amer H Matarneh

Organisational socialisation is the process that transitions new employees from organisational outsiders to participating and effective insiders through interactive processes. Organisations use these socialisation processes to minimise the pressures that characterise new work environments for newcomers, and alleviate their uncertainty about how to do their new job. In a globalised world, the workforce has become more mobile, and this has also led to challenges for organisations to attract and retain a sustainable workforce. In this study, a worker entering employment in a new country is referred to as a newcomer from overseas (NFO). Australia is one of the developed countries that seeks to continuously attract skilled migrants, resulting in NFOs constantly entering Australian workplaces. According to previous research, however, integrating this group of workers into the local workforce remains a challenge. Individual and organisational factors create barriers for newcomers in building relationships, and hinder their adjustment to their new workplace. Research has yet to examine the impact of the interaction of both individual characteristics and organisational factors on socialisation outcomes (learning and adjustment) for those newcomers who are from overseas. This research used a two-phase sequential, explanatory mixed-method approach to explore how individual characteristics and organisational factors influence the socialisation outcomes for newcomers in their workplaces. The results showed that individual factors (cultural background, personality traits, language, experience), and organisational factors (such as negative interactions, and level of socialisation provided by the organisations) impacted the socialisation outcomes for newcomers from overseas. This research contributed to knowledge by expanding on the current organisational socialisation theoretical perspectives, including socialisation stages, socialisation tactics and Social Identity Theory, to examine the NFOs’ socialisation experience in the Australian workplace. Practical suggestions to help organisations understand and improve the socialisation experience of NFOs have also been developed. These measures consider individual needs associated with the process of socialisation. The evidence in this research showed that NFOs’ learning process and social integration are contextually more difficult than those of local employees. Key findings are that regardless of the level of socialisation offered by the organisation, newcomers from overseas showed proactivity to learn and resilience when facing challenging situations. Recognised by organisations, these newcomers’ attributes can result in improved organisational socialisation outcomes.

The socialisation experience of newcomers from overseas in the Australian workplace

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