We have a detailed and organized onboarding process for each department at @cockroachlabs.
We have a buddy system, wherein each new employee is assigned a buddy. The role of the buddy is to answer any culture/product/business related questions the employee might have, to accompany them to lunch and team events, and direct them to the right resources. We also have a weekly check-in on Wednesdays for a month, and each check-in has a distinct (and documented) purpose
We have a 4-week onboarding process for all new employees, which includes "how does work" sessions. The team leads/members for almost all teams (marketing, engineering, docs, design, etc.) walk the new employees through how their respective teams work.
The manager for each department formulates a training/onboarding plan for their new team member which ranges from product onboarding, tools and training for their job function, a welcome team lunch/happy hour, and setting up meetings with key collaborators from other departments.
I have found this process incredibly helpful and now volunteer to be the buddy for our new teammates.
You mention that each of the Wednesday checkins have a specific purpose. Do you have a particular list of purposes, or if it’s based on the individual, things that are common?
No..At the end of the 4 weeks, I find that the person is more of a friend, whereas mentorship feels more formal to me. (I am also skeptical of the concept of mentorship, so that could be another reason why I can't carry over the buddy system into a mentorship)
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We have a detailed and organized onboarding process for each department at @cockroachlabs.
I have found this process incredibly helpful and now volunteer to be the buddy for our new teammates.
You mention that each of the Wednesday checkins have a specific purpose. Do you have a particular list of purposes, or if it’s based on the individual, things that are common?
That sounds like a really great approach, thank you for sharing.
Does the buddy system work across teams or is it just for your immediate functional team?
Across teams - we consciously pick buddies from teams other than the new employee's team.
Love this idea, that must be incredibly useful for building relationships across teams
Yes! I was so thankful for my buddy when I joined the company! Happily paying it forward now :)
That's great! A nice way to start mentoring too, have you ever carried on the 'buddy system' into a more of a mentorship?
No..At the end of the 4 weeks, I find that the person is more of a friend, whereas mentorship feels more formal to me. (I am also skeptical of the concept of mentorship, so that could be another reason why I can't carry over the buddy system into a mentorship)