COVID-19 impact on the job onboarding process

Ali Arsamakov

Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences

Bachelor’s Thesis
2022
Bachelor of Business Administration
Abstract

Author(s)
Ali Arsamakov
Degree
Bachelor of Business Administration
Report/thesis title
COVID-19 impact on the job onboarding process
Number of pages and appendix pages
27 + 1

This Bachelor’s thesis looks at the difference in job onboarding before and during the
pandemic of Covid-19.

The overall objective of the study was to determine the impact of Covid-19 on the job
onboarding of young people in Europe by comparing the onboarding experience between
them.

The thesis consists of a theoretical framework, research methods used, results, and
conclusion sections.

The theoretical framework section discusses the hiring process, onboarding, remote work,
and work integration. The research methods section discusses the research design,
population and sample, data collection, reliability and validity, and data analysis. Section
results discuss the data obtained in the interview that answers the investigative questions.
The conclusion section discusses the key findings, recommendations, reliability and
validity, and further research.

The study was based on the qualitative method research. First, an interview survey was
conducted among the young people who have been working before and during the Covid-
19 to determine the experience they had during their onboarding process. Twelve
questionnaires were sent to people matching the characteristics of the target group of the
study. Subsequently, five people who met the criteria were interviewed.

The interviews showed that young people who started working during the Covid-19
pandemic did not have the opportunity to fully integrate into the work-life of the
organization, which affected personal and professional responsibilities, since most
employees were transferred to remote work. The interviews also show that respondents
who worked remotely noticed a decline in their productivity whether they started working
before or during the pandemic.

Conclusions drawn by the author of this study from the responses received indicate that
the biggest impact of the pandemic on adaptation to work has been that due to the transfer
of most employees to remote work and the lack of mentors. It has become more difficult for
new employees who have just joined the organization to adapt to work and the work
environment. Most of the difficulties that may arise in a new job for employees could be
solved by the presence of a mentor at the beginning of work, and phased acquaintance
with colleagues who were transferred to remote work or with colleagues from other
departments.
Keywords
Job onboarding, remote work, new hires, job interview, work integration.
Table of contents

1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Background........................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Research Question ............................................................................................... 2
1.3 Limitation and benefits .......................................................................................... 3
1.4 Key concepts ........................................................................................................ 3
2 Theoretical Framework.................................................................................................. 5
2.1 Hiring process ....................................................................................................... 5
2.2 Onboarding ........................................................................................................... 7
2.3 Remote work ......................................................................................................... 9
2.4 Work integration .................................................................................................. 10
3 Research Method ........................................................................................................ 13
3.1 Research design ................................................................................................. 13
3.2 Population and Sample ....................................................................................... 14
3.3 Data collection .................................................................................................... 14
3.4 Reliability and Validity ......................................................................................... 14
3.5 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................... 16
4 Results ........................................................................................................................ 18
4.1 How has the onboarding process affected young people? .................................. 18
4.2 What challenges did young people face after getting familiar with new company?
20
4.3 How did the shift to remote working go?.............................................................. 21
4.4 What challenges did young people have when they integrated into a working
community?................................................................................................................. 22
5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 23
5.1 Key findings ........................................................................................................ 23
5.2 Recommendations .............................................................................................. 24
5.3 Reliability and Validity ......................................................................................... 24
5.4 Further Research ................................................................................................ 25
5.5 Reflecting on Learning ........................................................................................ 25
References ...................................................................................................................... 26
Appendix ......................................................................................................................... 28
 1

1 Introduction

This is a research type of a bachelor’s thesis for the Degree Programme for Multilingual
Management Assistants in the major specialization of Marketing, Sales and Services at
the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences.

The author of this thesis was inspired to write the thesis by the Digital Job Onboarding
project of the University of Applied Sciences Haaga-Helia funded by Erasmus+. The
partners of this project are FH Joanneum (Austria), Synthesis center for research and
education (Cyprus), Jugend am Steiermark (Austria), Haaga-Helia, Fondazione Fenice
Onlus (Italy), and Dex Innovation Centre (Czech Republic). This project aims to close the
gap of the digital divide during job onboarding for 18 to 25-year-old unemployed people.
This training programme strongly focuses on sustainability, digitalization, and innovation.
(Haaga-helia UAS 2021.)

Covid-19 has affected our society in almost everything, starting from everyday life to the
global economy, but how much has it affected the onboarding process? Only 12% of the
employees agree that their company does a good job onboarding new employees,
according to Gallup finds in 2017 (Why the Onboarding Experience Is Key for Retention
2017).

In this thesis, the author wants to know how Covid-19 has affected the job onboarding
process in Europe by interviewing unemployed and employed young people. The author
believes that with this study he will be able to find out their challenges or/and find the
solution to challenges that this group of unemployed youth might have during the job
onboarding process.

1.1 Background

In this thesis, the Author wants to know how they went through the process of onboarding
during Covid-19.

With this thesis, he wants to explore how Covid-19 has affected the adaptation process.
Identify challenges during this process that the target group had (challenges they think
they will have during this process) and find a solution to the challenges that the target
group has.
 2

1.2 Research Question

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of Covid-19 on the job onboarding
of young people in Europe by comparing the onboarding experience between them.

The research question of this thesis is - What impact has COVID-19 had on digital job
onboarding when hiring unemployed young people in Europe?

The investigative questions of this research are as follows:

IQ 1. How has the onboarding process affected young people?

IQ 2. What challenges did young people face after getting familiar with the new company?
IQ 3. How did the shift to remote working go?
IQ 4. What challenges did young people have when they integrated into a working
community?

Table 1 below presents the investigative questions, theoretical framework components,

research methods, and results in chapters for each investigative question.

Table 1. The structure of the overlay matrix for a research-based thesis.

Investigative question Theoretical Research Methods Results
Framework (chapter)
IQ 1. How the Onboarding process Qualitative interviews 4.1
onboarding process of people employed
affected young before and people
people? employed during the
Covid-19
IQ 2. What challenges Onboarding process Qualitative interviews 4.2
did young people face of people employed
after getting familiar before and people
with the new employed during the
company? Covid-19
IQ 3. How did the shift Remote work Qualitative interviews 4.3
into remote working of people employed
go? before and people
employed during the
Covid-19
 3

IQ 4. What challenges Work integration Qualitative interviews 4.4

did young people of people employed
have when they before and people
integrated into a employed during the
working community? Covid-19

1.3 Limitation and benefits

Limitation

The thesis author will consider in research young male and female people living in
Europe, aged 18-25, as many of them are just starting their journey to the work
environment, and will include time limits from 2020 to 2022 since Covid-19 has the
greatest impact on the adaptation process at work at this particular time.

The author will not consider the impact on another age group as he thinks they are more
experienced, and since in his opinion, the onboarding process might not have affected
them much.

This research-based thesis includes the interview of two groups of people aged 18-25,
employed (who started working during covid-19 time, from 2020 to 2022) and unemployed
who lives in Europe. This research-based thesis does not include other age groups of
people and people outside of Europe.

Benefits

This thesis will benefit people who are just starting to work, have a lack of work
experience, and possibly those people who are involved in hiring new employees for
instance Human Resources department.

1.4 Key concepts

Hiring process – When a company is faced with the task of finding new employees, it
carries out the recruitment process. The recruitment process includes the search,
selection, and hiring of new employees. The process includes several key stages:
planning, recruiting, and selecting new employees. (Talentlyft 2020.)

Onboarding – Bradt and Vonnengut (2009, 232) gave a great definition of onboarding:
 4

“Efforts to acquire, accommodate, assimilate, and accelerate new team members,

whether they come from outside or inside the organization.”

Remote work – The Cambridge Dictionary defines remote work as work done by
company employees from home or anywhere other than their usual place of work in the
company (Cambridge s.a.a).

Work integration – Integration is a process aimed at new employees in which they get to
know colleagues, the team, and the values of the company and learn about office politics
(Progressive Recruitment 2020).
 5

2 Theoretical Framework

In this chapter author will discuss the hiring process, onboarding and remote work, and
work integration.

2.1 Hiring process

The recruitment process is a business process that turns inputs into outputs. This process
includes job requirements, applications from applicants, and decision-makers, and then it
all turns into output. (Harvard Business Review Press 2002, 2.)

The recruitment process consists of five main steps. This includes the Determination of
job requirements, Selection of the most suitable candidates, Interviews, Evaluation of
candidates, Decision making, and a Job offer. (Harvard Business Review Press 2002, 1.)

• Determination of job requirements

− At the stage of determination of job requirements, the work tasks, the duties of
the hired person, skills, education, and work experience that are necessary for
the job are described (Betterteam 2017).

• Selection of the most suitable candidates

− For many employers, a qualified candidate is important. To gain access to

such candidates, it is necessary to distribute vacancies through relevant
channels, such as recruiting on a university campus or via the Internet.
Employers can also find a qualified candidate through an internship or through
partnerships with universities or colleges. (Harvard Business Review Press
2002, 8.)

− For the first acquaintance before the interview with the candidate, there will be
a cover letter and resume. Most often, it describes the qualities needed in a
candidate. At the next stage, when reviewing resumes needs pay attention to
education, skills, length of experience, employment gaps, job progression, and
job descriptions or positions without results or accomplishments. (Harvard
Business Review Press 2002, 9.)

• Structured & unstructured interviews

− The first interview usually begins with a telephone call. So, without spending a
lot of time, the interviewer can determine whether the candidate fits the
requirements, expectations, and goals. (Betterteam 2017)

− At the first personal interview, which normally lasts from 30 to 60 minutes, the
interviewer can find out more about the candidate. The second personal
interview, if necessary, may be attended by people interested in the process,
 6

such as bosses, other managers, or potential colleagues. (Harvard Business

Review Press 2002, 11.)

− A structured interview differs from an unstructured one in that it asks all

candidates the same questions for further comparison of answers. Most of the
structured interviews are conducted for objectivity, however, they do not
provide much information about the candidates. In unstructured interviews, the
opposite is true, with the interviewer asking different questions for each
candidate. They learn more about the candidate, but it is more difficult to
compare the results of the interview. Since they both have advantages and
disadvantages, it is a good idea to be a little flexible with interview questions
and prepare the main questions ahead of time. (Harvard Business Review
Press 2002, 11.)

• Evaluation of candidates

− After all the candidates have been interviewed, the people who make the hiring
decisions evaluate each candidate. A decision-making matrix is usually used to
select a candidate. By calculating the total scores of each candidate, the
likelihood of a biased assessment can be reduced. (Harvard Business Review
Press 2002, 21.)

Table 2 below presents the decision-making matrix tool.

Table 2. Decision-making matrix (adapted from Kevin Krugh 2002)

Job Title
Key area ratings
(poor) 1 to 5 (excelent)
Candidate Education Previous Job Skills and Personal Total
name experience accomplishments knowledge attributes

Notes:

Notes:

Notes:

Notes:

Notes:

Notes:

Notes:
 7

Notes:

Notes:

Notes:

• Mistakes during the evaluation step.

− The process of evaluating candidates is often subjective, even if using a

structured and methodical approach. Subjectivity can be avoided by avoiding
the following mistakes: impressed or unimpressed by maturity or experience,
mistaking the candidate's restraint and calmness for lack of motivation,
self-reflection in the candidate, assuming that graduates of some universities
or other educational institutions are more qualified than others, focusing on a
few significant strengths overlooking the absence of others. (Harvard Business
Review Press 2002, 23.)

• Decision-making and Job offer

− Resumes, and interviews influence the decision on hiring a new employee. The
interviewer or other decision maker might ask themselves, “Is the candidate
right for us?” and “Would we like this candidate to work for us?”. If the answers
to both questions are positive, one can make an offer to the candidate who will
be the most useful to the organization. If the interviewer does not have enough
information to make a decision, one should determine what information is
needed and how to get it. This may require an additional interview. (Harvard
Business Review Press 2002, 26.)

− A job offer can be made by phone, by letter, or in person (Harvard Business

Review Press 2002, 26).

2.2 Onboarding

Onboarding is a process aimed at new employees that should help them develop a work
culture, attitudes, knowledge, and skills to support and develop the company's business
(Sims 2010, xiii).

Dávila & Piña-Ramírez (2018, 1) write that onboarding is one of the main elements of
employee retention.

Davila and Piña-Ramírez (2018,1) also mention that employee onboarding is often
confused with the work orientation of new hires. However, although orientation is an
integral part of adaptation, they correspond to different processes in the worker's work
cycle. Successful onboarding programs also affect employee "work" engagement and
"their own" branding. Understanding exactly what the difference is between employee
 8

orientation and onboarding is crucial to determining the goals and scope of a personal
onboarding program. Understanding all this will help in creating a business case and also
in explaining why onboarding is so important and how it affects the results of each new
employee.

The onboarding of new employees is an action directed at new employees by which

organizations introduce them to the company's culture and their role in that organization.
Also, this action is used to make promotion in the organization itself easier, so that
employees subsequently become more effective and active team members in a short
period. Moreover, the impact of adaptation on the effectiveness of new employees also
extends to the organization itself. It follows that this is related to the results of the
organization's business, and this requires a large investment in resources. (Dávila & Piña-
Ramírez 2018, 10.)

There are two separate but mutually supporting parts in the adaptation: general
adaptation and adaptation to specific roles. General adaptation is used much more often
than adaptation to specific roles. (Dávila & Piña-Ramírez 2018, 10.)

General onboarding for new hires is used to introduce the culture of the organization by
identifying commonalities among all organization workers, regardless of their job title, for
example, hourly workers, managers, or supervisors. For example, this can include the
history of the organization or mission and vision, as well as various rules such as what
can be done and what cannot be done that apply to everyone. Various training sessions
are also included in the general adaptation. Such training sessions include, among others,
training on how to correctly fill out a timesheet or, as the author of this thesis did, learning
how to use a coffee maker. This part of the onboarding process sets the stage for ground
rules for engaging new hires in the workplace. (Dávila & Piña-Ramírez 2018, 10.)

Role-specific onboarding is an individual onboarding process for each position in an

organization because it aims to assimilate the new employee to the different subtleties of
the division culture. This part helps the new employee to integrate into the team, learn the
behavior skills they need to successfully master their role, to interact comfortably with
colleagues, and work at the expected effective level as soon as possible. For each
organization, the activity is different for each position and needs to transfer knowledge
from higher-ranking, more experienced managers who will lead the operation. (Dávila &
Piña-Ramírez 2018, 10-11.)
 9

2.3 Remote work

Remote work is work that can be done in any place convenient for the employee, outside
the office of the organization. This type of work helps to balance personal life and work.
Remote work differs in several types, it can be permanent or temporary. (Gartner 2020.)

Remote work advantages and disadvantages for employee and employer

• Flexibility

− Remote work has advantages for both employees and employers. The most
notable benefits are increased productivity, happier employees, and their
health. (What is Remote Work? 2018).

− The main reason people want to work remotely is that it is more flexible.
Employees are not required to be in the office full-time, which allows them to
focus on the things that matter to them outside of the office. If such an
employee has children, he or she has a little more time to be with the children,
the time they would spend on the road to the office. Remote work can also
have a positive impact on education. When working in the office, employees
must comply with the work schedule. Usually, this is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Nevertheless, when working remotely at this time, the employee may visit the
university or other place where he or she studies and do work later, after
classes, for example in the evening. (What is Remote Work? 2018).

• Better health and wellness

− Remote work also has a positive effect on health and well-being. When
employees can work in a more convenient, comfortable environment, for
example, by eliminating the need to travel to the office for work, they reduce
the stress caused by these trips. (What is Remote Work? 2018).

• Savings

− Among the advantages include the fact that remote work saves the resources
of the organization. So, for example, when all employees of an organization
work remotely, then there are no more expenses for the organization to rent an
office or, for instance, furniture. (What is Remote Work? 2018).

Disadvantages

Ikram (2021) says that the main difficulties of remote work are the rare or complete lack of
communication with colleagues and teamwork, low motivation, lack of control over work
and frequent coffee breaks, burnout, and risk of loss of productivity.
 10

Remote work Remote work

advantages disadvantages

Lack of
Flexibility communication
and teamwork

Better health
Low motivation
and wellness

Cost saveing Frequent breaks

Low productivity

Figure 1. Remote work advantages and disadvantages

2.4 Work integration

More often than not, the support that is provided for people needs to be meaningful, and
reflective of their lives, needs, and desires. This is usually done in an integrated work,
where managers or supervisors work together across the usual boundaries to support
people, as well as their families and those who take care of them. With this approach,
employees begin to understand each other's roles and contributions, which in turn allows
them to create a support network. (Skills for Care 2021, 3.)

These rules have been made to help organizations understand integration and how it can
help not only employees but also grow their businesses. The data obtained by studying
partners and listening to people's opinions helped in writing these rules. (Skills for Care
2021, 4.)

1. Integration is aimed at supporting, and improving results for new employees

When the task is to improve the performance of an employee, it is necessary to develop a

common goal, which in turn will create a so-called common vision that will be the basis for
change. When those people who have the task of supporting work together with the new
employee, it becomes easier to implement strengths and community-based approaches.
(Skills for Care 2021, 6.)

2. Integration includes the whole organization

 11

− Each employee has his own responsibility and successful integration includes
mutual understanding and respect for each other (Skills for Care 2021, 7).

3. Building a trusting and genuine relationship requires the ability to identify and
overcome resistance to change.

− It is important to know how integration affects employees. This approach can

be debilitating for some if they find it threatening. The task here is to make
them feel safe, to see that they are appreciated and supported. It is very
important to react to their anxieties. It is necessary to determine whether
workers feel unskilled, especially those who change work roles. In this case, it
will be possible to start training them. It should be noted that training is
extremely important in the integration process. (Skills for Care 2021, 9.)

4. Creative leaders are essential for workforce integration

− Effective and creative leaders are a key link in the development of culture and
the workforce. They are concerned with the operation of the whole system and
are not focused only on the results of the organization. The development of the
culture that the leader is engaged in also includes the opportunity to work and
study in collaboration with colleagues from other companies that are in alliance
with each other. Developing a learning environment that is based on the
experience of workers will ensure that innovation is maximized and will also
develop new, more efficient ways of working. (Skills for Care 2021, 10.)

5. Effective integration generates new relationships, networks, and working methods.

− Watch how the integration process is implemented. Attention to this process

will help to watch as commitment and trust grows. The basis of a good strategy
can be considered communication, information, and participation of all those
involved in decision-making. Finding, so to speak, the strengths and
experience that are available and mentioning this will be clear that everyone's
contribution is appreciated. It will not be superfluous to create an environment
where employees can learn from each other. Leadership styles should reflect
those expected of front-line workers: cooperative, open, and motivated.
Speaking in plain English will help avoid the various barriers that are inevitable
when using jargon. (Skills for Care 2021, 13.)

Employer & employee responsibilities

Organizations in Finland, when recruiting new employees, become employers who have
obligations to employees. These apply to all employers regardless of the number of
employees. (Expat Finland 2014.)

The employment contract law states that the employer has the right to supervise the work
of employees. However, in reality, it is somewhat limited by the collective agreement and
the individual agreement of the employee. Working hours for a particular industry are most
often thoroughly described in a collective agreement. The employment contract includes
the duties of the individual employee. It is also worth noting that the employer cannot
 12

contradict the law and demand from them, everything that comes to mind or demand work
to be performed that has deficiencies in labor protection or safety deficiencies that could
be dangerous to the worker. The employer is also responsible for the supervision of
employees, however, there are restrictions in the law. Restrictions include, among others,
the processing of data on the health of employees, as well as monitoring them using
various technologies. (Työsuojelu 2016.)

Employees have fewer responsibilities at the workplace; however, they are quite
significant. Employees have to do their job properly and various instructions. They must
also be loyal to the employer. Loyalty includes non-disclosing confidential information that
can harm the company and most often consent not to work for competitors. In case of
violation of these agreements, the employee will receive a warning and the subsequent
violation usually ends with dismissal from the work position in the company. (Työsuojelu
2016.)

Employer's Employee's
responsibilities resposibilities

Compliance with Performing the job

the employment accurately and on
contract time

Equal and fair

Following orders
treatment of
from superiors
employees

Supervising work Safety issues

execution reporting

Protection of
confidential Non-disclosure of
information of company secrets
employees

Figure 2. Employer’s and employee’s main responsibilities.

 13

3 Research Method

This research will include structured qualitatively oriented interviews of two groups of
people. The first group is young people aged 18 to 25 who live in Europe and started
working during the Covid-19 pandemic, between 2020 and 2022. The second group is
young people aged 18 to 25 who live in Europe and were employed before Covid-19.
Temporarily limitations are the Covid-19 pandemic time, the year 2020-2022.

Qualitative research is a tool for examining and understanding the meaning that people
attribute to a people or social problem. Such a study includes questions and procedures
such as collecting and analysing data from participants and building. Usually, a report
comes with a flexible writing structure. (Creswell 2018, 333.)
Qualitative research includes principles that help answer questions such as what, why,
and how (Denzin & Lincoln 2017, 56.).

3.1 Research design

Since the topic of this thesis is research-based and the investigative questions begin with
how and what the author of this thesis chose the most appropriate research method —
qualitative.

Figure 3 below shows the research design that was used in this study. The research
design includes data source, data collection, and data analysis methods and shows the
relationship to the investigative question of collected data.

Figure 3. Research design

 14

3.2 Population and Sample

For research, the author of this thesis decided to choose the same group of young people
around whom the Haaga-Helia research and development project is being conducted,
however instead of the unemployed 18-25-year-olds, he decided to choose those who
worked or started working before the COVID-19 pandemic and those who started working
during the pandemic.

3.3 Data collection

The author of this thesis chose the interview as a data collection tool because the
interview was the best fit for his research.

A qualitative interview is when the researcher interviews in person, by phone, over the
Internet, or interviews people in a focus group. Such interviews include open-ended
questions and are used to elicit the views and opinions of respondents. (Creswell 2018,
333.)

For data collection, interview questions were first written to help answer investigative
questions. The next activity was to write an email explaining what the interview was about,
and what it was for, along with the interview questions. An email was sent to friends and
acquaintances of the author of this thesis who were eligible for the research limitations.
However, to reach more respondents for the interview, a post was written on his personal
LinkedIn account, which also included a link to the Webropol survey.

The structure of the questions, as well as their order, was the same both in the survey and
in the email letter.

In order to motivate more respondents to take part in the interview, it was decided to raffle
movie tickets among those who participated in the interview.

Communication between the thesis author and respondents was done via email, mobile
phone calling, and messengers.

3.4 Reliability and Validity

One of the strengths of qualitative research is its validity. Validity is the basis for
determining whether the results are accurate. The terms that are used for authenticity are
trustworthiness, authenticity, and credibility. (Creswell 2018, 274.)
 15

For a better examination validation procedure, several strategies are recommended. So,
the researcher will increase the accuracy of the results and similarly convince the readers
of this accuracy. There are eight strategies sorted from most popular to least popular.
Popularity depends on the ease of their implementation. Less popular ones are used less
frequently because they are harder to implement. (Creswell 2018, 274.)
− Triangulation of data. By triangulating several data sources and examining the
evidence from these sources to further use them to build a rationale for the
topic.
− Member checking. For the accuracy of qualitative results, participant
verification is used. After giving the report or topic back to the participants, ask
them if they think it is accurate.
− A rich, thick description. A good description will help the reader, it will give the
dialogue something like an exchange of experience. When a good description
is given, the results can be more truthful.
− Clarifying the bias that the researcher may bring into the study will help avoid
skewing the results. (Creswell 2018, 274.)
− Negative or discrepant information. Providing such information can increase
the credibility of the study. Since life in reality always consists of different
points of view. This usually happens when discussing research data.
− After spending sufficient time in the field, the researcher most often develops
an understanding of the topic under study and gives details about people and
places that lend credibility. The more experienced the researcher, the more
reliable the results of the study will be.
− Peer debriefing is used to improve accuracy. It includes the search for a
person who studies and asks questions about qualitative research. It adds
validity.
− The external auditor used to validate the entire study. The auditor gives an
objective assessment of the study because he is not familiar with the
researcher. He looks at aspects such as the relationship between data
research questions and the level of their analysis, as well as transcription
accuracy. (Creswell 2018, 275.)

To test the reliability of their research approaches, qualitative researchers are encouraged
to document their research procedures and record as much as possible, step by step.
There are several procedures for quality reliability: (Creswell 2018, 275.)
− Transcript checking is necessary to avoid obvious errors made during
transcription.
− The drift in the definition of codes. It should also be noted that in this process
there is no bias in the definition of codes This is usually done by constantly
comparing the data to the codes and writing notes about the codes and their
definitions.
− For team research, it is recommended to hold documented meetings from time
to time and to share the results of the analyses carried out.
− Cross-check codes made by several researchers comparing the results
obtained separately from each other. Researchers should include several of
these procedures as proof that they are doing well in their research. (Creswell
2018, 275.)
 16

3.5 Data Analysis

The interview was sent by email to 10 respondents, of whom only 10% the respondents
answered questions and sent answers back to the researcher. On the researcher's
LinkedIn page, there was a post about interviewing through a survey. At the time of
closing the survey, the post had about 240 views. The survey statistics showed that 6
responses were received.

To analyse the research data, obtained through interviews via online survey and email,
was decided to structure the data first. For this purpose, an Excel file was created. The
author of the study found Excel a convenient tool for analysing open questions. Data
about respondents, namely their numbers, were transferred to this file in Excel. Then the
data of all interview responses. Next, categories were created to group responses,
followed by codes for each category. After that, the categories and then the column with
the total was copied to collect statistics. The total number of responses in the statistics
should have coincided with the total number of responses. Separate sheets in excel have
been created for each question.

Interwiew question 1 I have been working before the pandemic and I have started to work during the
will be describing the onboarding process before pandemic and will be describing the
the pandemic. onboarding process during the
pandemic.
Respontent No. Responses Codes Themes
1 Yes B Working before the pandemic - Code A
2 B Working during the pandemic - Code B
3 Yes A
4 A
5
6 B

Legend
Respondents are divided into groups for further Group 1 Green color Group 2 Blue color
comparison of the collected answers. Groups
are separated by colors to ease comparison.

Figure 4. The open-ended question data analysis tool. Excel.

 17

Figure 5. The open-ended question data analysis tool. Excel.

 18

4 Results

This chapter includes results in investigative questions that contribute to the answer to the
main research question. To answer the investigative questions, a survey was compiled
that included two to five questions for each of the IQs. The survey involved two groups of
young people of the same age. The only difference was that one group started working
before the pandemic and the other during the pandemic.

Research question - What impact has COVID-19 had on digital job onboarding when
hiring unemployed young people in Europe?

IQ 1. How has the onboarding process affected young people?

IQ 2. What challenges did young people face after getting familiar with the new company?
IQ 3. How did the shift to remote working go?
IQ 4. What challenges did young people have when they integrated into a working
community?

By comparing the answers to the questions, the researcher wants to find out how Covid-
19 affected the job onboarding process. Has onboarding gotten worse, better, or remained
the same during the covid-19 pandemic?

The group of young people who started working before the pandemic will be hereinafter
referred to as group 2, and those who started working during the pandemic will be
hereinafter referred to as group 1.

Below are the questions from the survey as well as an analysis of the collected answers.
The analysis includes direct quotations from the survey responses.

4.1 How has the onboarding process affected young people?

The investigative question in this subchapter is "How has the onboarding process affected
young people". Five questions were designed to answer this Investigative question in the
survey.

Below are the questions from the survey as well as an analysis of the collected answers.
The analysis includes direct quotations from the survey responses.

1. What was your experience during the onboarding process?

 19

The responses of group 1 were mostly positive. A negative or even neutral answer was
that one respondent had “nothing special” during the onboarding process. However, the
responses of group 2 were quite the opposite, all the respondents answered that they had
a bad experience in general.

2. What challenges have you faced during the onboarding process?

The difficulties faced by group 1 were the long adaptation to the work process, the lack of
employees in the office, and certainties, “The employer could tell exactly what would
happen at work due to pandemic changes”. For group 2, the responses were competition
and lack of time. The lack of time was learning new “things” as "the company started
operating recently and it was necessary to handle multiple tasks at the same time".

3. What were the advantages of the onboarding process? What did you
like?

The advantages of the onboarding process that group 1 liked were "Introduction to
working processes", "mentor presences" and "the way the company employees
communicated with each other". For group 2 what they liked the most was that
"onboarding was divided into a few parts, and it was done in different days" and
"comprehensive onboarding from a very highly experienced colleague".

4. What were the disadvantages of the onboarding process? What did you
not like?

The majority in group 1 answered that there were no disadvantages in the onboarding
process. However, one respondent answered that uncertainties were disadvantages. The
uncertainty was that "because of the pandemic, you cannot be sure that everything will
happen exactly the way they (the management of the company) plan". Group 2 answered
that the disadvantage was the lack of time. Respondent replied, "I had to do all things
quickly included in onboarding".

5. What would be, in your opinion, the best way to improve the onboarding
process?

"Receiving the onboarding printed material beforehand", mentor presence during the
onboarding, and introducing the new employee to other employees, answered group 1.
Group 2 answered that they would prefer to work with a mentor for at least one week after
starting work.
 20

4.2 What challenges did young people face after getting familiar with new
company?

The investigative question in this subchapter is "What challenges did young people face
after getting familiar with the new company?". Three questions were designed to answer
this Investigative question in the survey.

Below are the questions from the survey as well as an analysis of the collected answers.
The analysis includes direct quotations from the survey responses.

1. What challenges did you face after getting familiar with the new
company?

To this question, group 1 answered that making friends, and meeting other employees
were challenges for them as some of them worked remotely. Others replied that the main
challenge for them was "to learn the work process and their tasks". Also in group 2, the
majority answered that the main difficulty was the work process. Some respondents
answered that "since it was a new workplace with its own rules and schemes nearly all
actions were challenging".

2. How do you think these challenges can be overcome?

Respondents from group 1 responded that to overcome these problems it is necessary to

"do the best we can", by getting to know your colleagues and the values of the company.
Others answered that it depends on the company itself, such as a good working
environment, good colleagues, and a mentor. However, all respondents from group 2
answered that it depends on themselves. The only way to overcome these challenges is
by "doing work hard and concentrating on the work you are doing" asking for help without
any hesitation and "studying and practicing".

3. What help did you get from your mentor/co-workers?

Most in group 1 responded that they received all the help they needed. In some cases, it
was colleagues, in others, it was a mentor. The help that was offered was help with work
processes, rules, and lunch bonuses. Other respondents were either not helped at all or
were helped only with advice. For the most part, they were left with their tasks on their
own. The other group responded that they also received all the necessary help.
Nevertheless, some answered that all the help they received was "mental support and
specific tips on certain challenges".
 21

4.3 How did the shift to remote working go?

The investigative question in this subchapter is "How did the shift into remote working
go?". Four questions were designed to answer this Investigative question in the survey.

Below are the questions from the survey as well as an analysis of the collected answers.
The analysis includes direct quotations from the survey responses.

1. What difficulties did you have while adapting to remote work?

At the time of the survey, the majority of participants in group 1 had no experience
working remotely. All work was done on-site. However, still one of the participants replied
that it was difficult for him to get acquainted with colleagues, with the culture of the
company. The survey participant had to meet colleagues by himself and ask questions
about the company. Group 2 participants responded that the company was prepared for
remote work and that working from home only lasted a week. The difficulties that the
respondents had been that they needed to bring the equipment to their homes. The
equipment included a computer and an additional screen. Remote work also affected the
physical condition of doing full-time work.

2. How do you think remote work impacted your productivity?

In general, participants from group 1 answered that remote work was nice however "it is
not productive to ask questions about the work in a zoom meeting". Not all respondents
from group 2 had remote work, yet those who had it noted that it affected their productivity
for the worse. They noted that since remote work was new to them and only lasted a
week, they did not have enough time to get used to the new way of working. The
respondent also noted that "I think if I do this remote work, for example, for a month, then
my productivity will be almost the same as in office work".

3. What are some of the benefits you have seen from remote work?

Group 1 was unable to say what benefits they saw as most did not have remote work. Yet
one respondent answered that remote work was good when "I had many manual tasks
and no help needed". Group 2 replied that the advantage was "no travel costs or time. No
need to put on official clothing". They admitted that "in certain ways, remote work would
make life easier".

4. How the company managed the difficulties involved in remote working?

 22

Since there was no remote work, there were no difficulties that had to be overcome. One
respondent in group 1 who had a remote job replied that "They did not manage any
difficulties". One respondent from group 2 replied that "I was exempted from some duties".

4.4 What challenges did young people have when they integrated into a working
community?

The investigative question in this subchapter is "What challenges did young people have
when they integrated into a working community?". Two questions were designed to
answer this Investigative question in the survey.

Below are the questions from the survey as well as an analysis of the collected answers.
The analysis includes direct quotations from the survey responses.

1. Did you find it easier or harder to be in a remote work community than an

office one? Why?

Some participants in group 1 responded that they "like to work remotely", and they "think it
is easy because I can work anywhere". However, they admitted that it affects in
communication. They think "it is easier to communicate when it is face to face". Others
said that "I think both are fine, but it depends on the working tasks which one is better or
worse". Group 2 answered that they think in overall office work is a better option for them
in many ways. Their productivity in an office environment is way better than working
remotely. They can do much more things in the office and "I think also that home is still a
place to rest and have fun, not the place to work".

2. What were some of the difficulties that you had when integrated into a
remote working community?

For group 2, the difficulties they faced were the Internet or computer-related problems,
which in turn affected the inability to contact colleagues. “My computer often stopped
working and I could not contact my colleagues. In addition, the Internet went down many
times”. Group 2 respondents suggested that one of the difficulties would be a "lack of work
atmosphere. Not seeing colleagues in life, no small talk, no close contact".
 23

5 Conclusion

In this chapter, the author will tell the results of the research, the conclusion, and
recommendations for further research.

The research question for this thesis was - What impact has Covid-19 had on digital job
onboarding when hiring unemployed young people in Europe? To answer the RQ, the
author compiled 4 investigative questions.

IQ 1. How has the onboarding process affected young people?

IQ 2. What challenges did young people face after getting familiar with the new company?
IQ 3. How did the shift to remote working go?
IQ 4. What challenges did young people have when they integrated into a working
community?

5.1 Key findings

In this research, after analysing data obtained from interviews, the author found that
onboarding for those who started working during the pandemic was slightly different from
that of those who started working before. Most of the respondents who started working
during the pandemic answered that in general, they were satisfied with onboarding. In the
beginning, a mentor was present next to some respondents who helped them to
"onboard". For some of the respondents’, detailed instructions were given with everything
necessary for a new employee, which removed the need for the presence of a mentor.
Respondents from both groups noted that having pre-printed onboarding material and
having a mentor could improve the onboarding process.

However, the main difference was that those who started working during the pandemic
were deprived of the opportunity to meet colleagues as the majority were transferred to
remote work. This also affected work processes, such as difficulties with work
communication. The colleague or mentor himself could help overcome these and other
challenges during onboarding. Nevertheless, almost all respondents from both groups
said they received all the help they needed, including workflow questions and even mental
support. Only one respondent received a little help with advice and the rest of the time he
was left to himself with his tasks.

The author also found that the majority of respondents from both groups did not work
remotely. Only one of those respondents who started working before the pandemic was
transferred to remote work, which lasted only a week. Only one respondent who started
 24

working during the pandemic worked remotely most of the time. In both cases, the
employer had everything ready for remote work for their employees. It turned out that both
respondents who worked remotely noticed a decrease in their productivity. In some cases,
it was because of their communication with colleagues that they had to call up via zoom to
discuss work-related issues. In another case, it was because remote work was new to
them, they spent a lot of time learning a new way to do their job. However, he also
emphasized that if remote work, for example, lasted a month, then productivity would
increase to the level that he had in the office. Also, from this respondent, the author noted
that there are benefits of remote work. For example, the respondent noted that remote
work excludes travel expenses that may be incurred when working from the office, there is
no need for a dress code, you can dress in whatever is comfortable, and most importantly,
it saves time that he spends on the road from home to the office and back.

The last thing, the author found is that some preferred working in the office to remote work
due to the specifics of their job duties and others noted that remote work would be easier
for them, but at the same time highlighted that they consider work communication a
disadvantage in this case. On top of that from the data collected, the author noticed that
when integrating into a remote working community, employees lacked a working
atmosphere, the inability to see colleagues, and a lack of small talk with them.
Additionally, employees had sudden problems with computers and lost contact with their
colleagues.

5.2 Recommendations

The research author would recommend that employers devote enough time to new
employees if employees need it until they adapt to work. Make it so that the employee
was happy to work in their organizations. For employees, he recommends actively
participating in the life of the organization. Familiarize yourself with the unspoken rules of
the organization. This will contribute to their faster development in a new workplace. Don't
be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

5.3 Reliability and Validity

To check for reliability, the author documented all the procedures carried out by him.
Then, the responses to the interviews were divided into codes to simplify the reliability test
and exclude bias. Further, to compare the results of the codes, a cross-check was made.
During the validation of the data, a member check was made. The summary report was
returned to interview participants to ensure it was accurate. Also, during the analysis,
direct quotations were made for the reliability of the data.
 25

The process of validity and reliability could be improved by having the entire research
validated by an external auditor.

5.4 Further Research

The author finds the topic of this study very interesting and useful for some employers. He
also notes that conducting additional interviews can reveal the topic even more widely,
which will later help both new employees who do not have or have little work experience
and employers, which can subsequently have a positive effect on job satisfaction for
employees.

For further interviews for the research, the author advises choosing respondents with
similar job titles and with the same roles within the organization.

5.5 Reflecting on Learning

The thesis author studied the topic discussed in this research through books and articles
about onboarding, remote work, and hiring. For more valuable, more useful data, he
would interview the same people from the same region and age as those in this study, but
who worked in the same fields, such as marketing specialists or accountants.

In general, the author believes that he fully disclosed the topic of his research and fully
answered his questions. All objectives of this study were achieved.

The author did all the research work himself, but sometimes he received a little advice
from an advisor of the thesis.
 26

References

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 28

Appendix

The appendix below includes interview questions.

I have been working before the pandemic and will be describing the onboarding process
before the pandemic. YES/NO
I have started to work during the pandemic and will be describing the onboarding process
during the pandemic. YES/NO

If both options applicable to you, please answer the questions of each onboarding process
separately.

1.1 What was your experience during the onboarding process?

1.2 What challenges have you faced during the onboarding process?
1.3 What were the advantages of the onboarding process? What did you like?
1.4 What were the disadvantages of the onboarding process? What didn’t you like?
1.5 What would be, in your opinion, the best way to improve onboarding process?

2.1 What challenges did you face after getting familiar with new company?
2.2 How do you think these challenges can be overcome?
2.3 What help did you get from you mentor/co-workers?

3.1 What difficulties did you have while adapting to a remote work?
3.2 How do you think the remote work impacted your productivity?
3.3 What are some of the benefits you have seen from remote work?
3.4 How the company managed the difficulties involved in remote working?

4.1 Did you find it easier or harder to be in a remote work community than an office one?
Why?
4.2 What were some of the difficulties that you had when integrated into a remote working
community?