Antecedents of New Recruit's Adjustment

Abstract

The transition of newly hired employees from educational institutes to the corporate world thrusts them into unfamiliar environments. The reality shocks during a new employee's early days can lead to behavioral withdrawal, interpersonal conflict, lack of work engagement, lack of productivity, dissatisfaction, and turnover. The purpose of this article was to explore the antecedents of new recruits' adjustment in the Indian IT industry. The study considered three antecedents: supervisor support behavior, psychological empowerment, and feedback-seeking behavior. Data was collected from 607 newly hired employees working in the Indian IT industry and was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The article highlights that supportive supervisors can encourage new employees to seek feedback and help them to ‘fit into' the organization. Managerial implications suggest that organizations conduct training programs to make managers more approachable and available for new recruits during their early days to ensure adjustment and engagement in the organization.