Onboarding in Polish Enterprises in the Perspective of HR Specialists

Abstract

The article discusses onboarding in Polish enterprises analyzed from the perspective of HR specialists. The subject of consideration in the article falls within the area of broadly understood concern for the sustainable development and well-being of employees adjusting to a new work environment during their adaptation period. Actions taken by HR specialists have a significant impact on the behavior of employees and their well-being and satisfaction in the new workplace, including commitment and care for all stakeholders involved in building a positive psychological climate at the time of starting work. The aim of the article was to identify onboarding practices implemented in selected types of Polish enterprises and selected factors determining the choice of specific practices, such as analyzing the dependencies between the type of an enterprise and the implementation of onboarding practices in it, identifying the perception of these practices by HR male and female specialists at a given age and with given seniority, and determining whether the practice of assigning a buddy to new employees depends on the type of enterprise. The study described in the article was conducted in 178 medium-sized Polish enterprises, of which, 25 were manufacturing companies, 34 were trading companies, and 119 were service companies. In each enterprise, an HR specialist completed a questionnaire on onboarding. The analysis of the dependencies between the type of company and the type of onboarding implemented in it (general, position, or team onboarding) revealed no statistically significant differences between the types of companies participating in the study and the type of onboarding implemented in them. The discrepancies between preferences for particular onboarding practices and the gender, age, and seniority of HR specialists participating in the study turned out to be statistically significant and indicate that manufacturing companies more often assign a buddy to new employees in their onboarding process than trading and service companies. The conclusions obtained from the research, apart from the cognitive value, have an application value, e.g., regarding the recruitment of HR specialists.