Organizational on-boarding practices and shifts in alcohol misuse among at-risk college recruits

With a significant proportion of college students in many countries engaging in risky drinking behavior, this study examines the tendency of such young adults to ‘mature out’ of such behavior in their first year of employment after graduating, and the degree to which three mainstream organizational on-boarding experiences may expedite such ‘maturing out’. Focusing on newcomers’ experiences with alcohol-oriented job orientation, job empowerment, and organizational efforts to facilitate the development of supportive peer relationships, we test hypotheses regarding the direct effects of time on the change in alcohol misuse among those reporting misuse in college, as well as the degree to which individual on-boarding experiences account for the variance in young adults’ maturing out trajectories over the course of their first year of employment. Findings generated from data collected from over 400 young adults over multiple waves offer important theoretical and practical implications regarding how and why particular onboarding tactics may be more or less effective in influencing newcomers’ health-related behaviors.