Migrants in the Workplace : Contextual Dynamics Shaping Experiences, Identity and Performance

Abstract

Migration has fundamentally reshaped European labor markets, making the integration of migrant employees a pressing societal and organizational challenge. Despite this relevance, organizational research on migrants remains fragmented, overly focused on high-skilled employees, and insufficiently attuned to how migrants’ workplace experiences evolve over time. This dissertation investigates how migrant employees perceive and influence their workplace environments across individual, team, and organizational levels. Drawing on theories from organizational behavior, sociology, and social psychology, it examines how migrant experiences are shaped by contextual factors, such as time, team composition, and organizational practices, and how these influence workplace outcomes. Study 1 follows 208 migrant trainees over two years of vocational training in Germany, exploring how early workplace events shape organizational and, subsequently, national identification. The findings show that early positive and negative events affect organizational identification, and that the latter positively influences migrants’ attachment to the host country. Study 2 draws on a time-lagged sample of 629 workgroups (10,777 blue-collar employees) to assess how migrant representation influences group productivity. Results reveal a curvilinear relationship, suggesting that performance is affected by perceived status shifts among team members. Study 3 uses longitudinal survey data from 506 trainees in 159 companies to examine how perceived discrimination varies among first-generation, second-generation, and non-migrant employees. It finds that second-generation migrants report the highest workplace discrimination, and that diversity-friendly HR practices shape the trajectory of perceived discrimination for first-generation migrants. Collectively, these studies highlight the value of examining migrant workplace integration across multiple levels and over time. By focusing on contextual factors such as early work events, team composition, and organizational practices, the dissertation offers new insights into how migrant employees perceive, adapt to, and shape their work environments. These findings can inform practitioners aiming to build more effective workplaces by supporting the evolving needs of diverse employee groups.