Buddy programmes, designed to help new recruits settle into their companies and become productive quickly, are gaining in popularity. Increasingly, they are being viewed as an essential element of successful onboarding, particularly for remote and hybrid workers. But how can you ensure that your company’s buddy programme is a success?
The Wall Street Journal has published a list of six do’s and don’ts to help improve the effectiveness of buddy programs for the post-pandemic workplace. For the key points, please read on:
1. Don’t force anyone to become a buddy. Ask for volunteers, screen them for suitability and give them guidance about their expected tasks. Adobe buddies, for example, are advised to show up for regularly scheduled sessions, arrange introductions and practice active listening, such as asking a new employee about their preferred communication method.
2. Advise buddies to reach out before the new recruit arrives. This will make them more at ease and productive in their new role from Day One.
3. Encourage buddies and fresh hires to meet often over an extended period of time. A flurry of meetings in the first week alone won’t cut it. Frequent buddy interactions over the initial six months will bring newcomers up to speed faster.
4. Don’t use the same buddies again and again. You don’t want your well-meaning volunteers to suffer burnout, so rotate them.
5. Assign two buddies to every new recruit to avoid buddy burnout. One of the pair could focus on the role, while the other offers insights into company culture and values.
6. Incorporate buddy experiences into performance reviews to signal how important to staff retention and productivity they are.
The team at ABL wishes you every success with your buddy and onboarding programmes. If you’d like any help on the recruitment side of things, please get in touch. With over 30 years’ experience in the industry and access to a vast pool of talented, active job seekers, we will deliver excellent candidates for all your vacancies. Please reach out so we can brainstorm the options!
