The meaning of work, organizational socialization and work context: The perspective of migrant workers

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between meaning of work and organizational socialization labor context for migrant workers evaluation. Originality/value: Due to the increasing number of world migrations, there is a need for research on migrants and their relation to the variables that involve organizational practices. The perception of work for migrant workers refers to the characteristics of the tasks and the way work is organized and the integration and adaptation of the individual to the environment, contributing to the attribution of meaning to work. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative survey was conducted by applying a questionnaire to Senegalese, Bengalese and Haitian workers who recently arrived in Brazil. Findings: The results show the variables that lead migrants to give meaning to their work, as well as their perception about the socialization process and the context conditions. It was also demonstrated that organizational socialization partially mediates the relation between meaning of work and the perception of precarious work context for these workers. The results contribute to demonstrate the importance of organizational socialization in labor contexts that absorb migrant workers, as well as the relationship between the elaboration of the meaning of work and the perception of precarious work.