Graduates Working Virtually: Its Effects on Newcomer Socialization

Abstract

Covid-19 has accelerated the trends of digital socialization. The differences between traditional and digital socialization are enough to influence the socialization process for graduate newcomers. Researchers have yet to explore the full effect of digital socialization and the possibilities it carries. We collected our data through a self-completion survey from newcomers who had graduated within the last 12 months from business schools. This study focuses on graduate newcomers and how digital socialization affects their socialization process. First, we examined whether virtual work is related to organizational socialization, and second, how virtual socialization tactics and virtual supervisor support relate to organizational socialization. Lastly, we examined the relationship between virtual work and intention to quit by performing a mediator analysis with the three organizational socialization domains: organization, role and relationship. The results indicate that virtual work is not directly related to graduate newcomer socialization. However, virtual socialization tactics were related to socialization in the organization domain, and virtual supervisor support was related to socialization in the role and relationship domain. We did not find any support for the relationship between virtual work and intention to quit in our mediator analys