The relative importance of proactive behaviors and outcomes for predicting newcomer learning, well-being, and work engagement

• We investigate the relative importance of proactive behaviors and proactive outcomes.
• Newcomer socialization criteria were learning, well-being, and work engagement.
• We investigated also the mediating role of proactive outcomes.
• Data were obtained from 176 temporary agency workers.
• Multivariate relative importance analyses were used.

New employees can accelerate and optimize their socialization by behaving proactively, although the key behaviors vary across studies. Recent research suggests that newcomer proactive behaviors influence socialization through the mediating effect of corresponding proactive outcomes. This may partly explain differences across studies, along with possible variations in the relative importance of specific proactive behaviors. This study investigates further the mediating role of proactive outcomes, and the relative importance of different proactive behaviors and proactive outcomes in predicting newcomer learning, well-being, and work engagement. Based on a sample of 176 temporary agency workers, support for the mediating role of proactive outcomes was found, although some proactive behaviors were effective in their own right. Relative importance analyses revealed that different proactive behaviors were important for different socialization criteria. Practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.