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Abstract
This action research study explores millennials' experiences with onboarding programs in their health care organizations. Findings suggest that current onboarding programs are generally inadequate and may have a negative effect on retention. Health care organizations appear to be behind the curve regarding onboarding trends. Findings also suggest a potential concern of poor culture where onboarding is inadequate. Further, a quasi-appreciative inquiry approach provides indication of what health care organizations might consider including in onboarding programs.
Keywords: Employee onboarding, millennials, healthcare organizations, and employee retention
"Although I was originally über-excited about the job, and even though it took me five months to find the right position, by the end of my first day there, I knew instead of celebrating that evening, I'd begin my hunt for a new job," said a member of the study regarding her first Fortune 50 corporate position. "I was shocked that there was no pre-boarding.. .none, like zero," she continued as she explained her experience with her organization's employee onboarding, "but I was more shocked at the onboarding process. Worst I've ever seen and I'm in HR. They lost me on day one," she concluded (Research Participant 11, personal communication, February 15, 2018).
At a time when corporations are trying to save money by outsourcing employee orientations and onboarding activities, this quote serves as a solid representation of the connections millennials are making between corporate onboarding and the work experiences they can expect during their tenure.
As the United States continues to recover from economic recession, the transition of generational talent is taking place simultaneously, resulting not just in diverse skill sets, but also in different ways of thinking about and interpreting work and job expectations (Pike, 2014). Part of the transition in this economic recovery is a shift in the work force. Millennials have surpassed baby boomers regarding generation population, and they are flooding the labor market, with more than a million millennials entering the workforce annually (Petrucelli, 2017). It is expected that approximately 40 percent of the United States workforce across industries will be millennials by 2020 (Lykins & Pace, 2013), and they have very different expectations of their employers than any previous generation (Petrucelli, 2017), and a different perspective on organizational loyalty.
Some of the key...