Developing a Conceptual Framework for Career Shock among Fresh Graduates in Hybrid Work Environments.

Abstract

Purpose: This paper seeks to establish a conceptual framework to make sense of career shock in the new graduate workforce in hybrid office settings. Hybrid work models are becoming more popular and are drastically changing early career experiences, resulting in issues to do with role clarity, digital skills and adaptation to the workplace.

Methodology: The research is conceptual research design using systematic literature review that was published between 2016 and 2026. Narrative synthesis method is applied to analyze around 20 academic sources, such as journal articles, books, conference proceedings, and doctoral studies. Some of the keywords will be career shock, hybrid work, fresh graduates, role ambiguity and psychological strain.

Findings: The research singles out hybrid nature of work, role ambiguity and digital skills gap as key antecedents that determine career shock. The mechanisms of these factors are mediated by like variables of adjustment to the workplace and psychological strain. These relationships are found to be mediated by organizational support and personal abilities, such as self-efficacy.

Implications: The framework offers a valuable contribution to HR professionals through its stress on the need to have a structured onboarding process, ongoing training, and supportive organizational practices to minimize early career disturbances.

Originality/Value: The research is a new combination of hybrid work and career shock and provides a multidimensional conceptual model, which may form the basis of future empirical research....