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What is an onboarding buddy?

An onboarding buddy is…

An employee who is matched with a new joiner to provide them with support throughout their onboarding process

Someone a new joiner can rely on for questions and concerns

Responsible for helping ensure a new joiner is quickly and effectively integrated into the team and the organization

There are many benefits to having an onboarding buddy.

Research shows a direct link between supportive onboarding and employee productivity, engagement, and retention.

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What is my role as an onboarding buddy?

As an onboarding buddy you will…

Educate new joiner about day-to-day processes. (You can use the weekly buddy checklist to help guide you.)

Help bridge social connections and involvement across the organization.
Answer questions as they arise. (We’ve created a FAQ you can refer to.)

You might be wondering how an onboarding

buddy’s role differs from that of a manager

(it’s a great question!)

An onboarding buddy is:

Not a substitute for a manager or supervisor.

Not responsible for employee relations or human resources related issues.

Not responsible for directing the new employee's work or evaluating performance (although you can certainly provide support in this area).

Encouraged to keep the new joiner’s manager in the loop about any progress or concerns.

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What are my responsibilities as an onboarding buddy?

Here are some things that come to mind.

(However, it’s important to know that as an onboarding buddy, you have the freedom and flexibility to welcome the new joiner in a way that you see best fit.)

General onboarding buddy responsibilities:

Meet with the new joiner on their first day (virtually)
Answer general questions they have about the job, their role, and Company A
Review onboarding deck with new joiner
Reach out to resourcing regarding new joiner’s first project(s) to get an idea of their main responsibilities and priorities
Hold weekly check-in meetings covering suggested topics

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How do I know what to talk about with the new joiner?

We’ve got you covered!

You and your new joiner will follow a weekly checklist to help guide and facilitate the process and discussions from week to week.

Important note: you can implement and adjust the schedule and topics as they see best.

Weekly checklist topics include:

Reviewing the ID onboarding deck
Systems and processes used among the ID team (Project management platform, ticketing system, Global ID team folder)
Company A IP, solutions, and products
Resources (Google drive, Confluence)
How to get involved at Company A (Mentor program, virtual workspaces)
Relatedness questions to help build connections

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Are there any resources for me to refer to?

Yep, a whole bunch of them!

Note: You can find the resources below (and additional resources) in the shared Global ID folder .

Onboarding buddy resources available to you:

1) ID onboarding deck

Onboarding deck for new joiner

2) Onboarding buddy process deck + document

Resources for onboarding buddy

3) Onboarding buddy weekly topic checklist

Guidelines for new joiner and onboarding buddy

4)FAQ

Common questions a new joiner may have for you as the onboarding buddy and questions you may have about the onboarding process

You can also reach out to Alina Abas with any questions you have.

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