Onboarding buddy guide

Bringing a new hire onboard is exciting.

Bringing a new hire onboard is exciting. And while managers play a critical role in shaping a new employees’ first weeks and months, a broader team effort can ensure the experience is both positive and productive.

What is an onboarding buddy?

An onboarding buddy is an existing employee who guides the new hire on their first weeks and assists them navigate Catalpa. The buddy partners with the new employee for the first three months of their employment to assist them by introducing them to the Catalpa's culture, explaining basic operational issues, helping them build confidence and demonstrating Catalpa values.

Being a buddy is mutually beneficial. It’s not just the new hire who can benefit from this relationship. Serving as an onboarding buddy provides an opportunity to demonstrate and develop managerial and leadership skills. Additionally, teaching others can strengthen one’s knowledge, enabling buddies to develop a deeper level of expertise.

What is expected of you?

What is expected from a buddy, in general as listed below: Before Day 1 Sit with the program manager/team lead to discuss the onboarding buddy process, objectives, and timeline The buddy should be: At least 6 months of experience working with Catalpa Similar role with the new hire (ex: project coordinators) Working under the same sector (ex: education sector) Report to the same project manager/team lead Notes: It is important to consider the onboarding buddy’s current workload. Learn about the new employee by accessing their CV or profile via LinkedIn or Facebook

First day

Schedule a formal meeting with the new employee to introduce yourself and explain your role as a buddy Share information about yourself (how long you’ve been at Catalpa, what it was like when you first started, the perks of working at Catalpa, your role, interests, hobbies, etc.) Learn more about the new employee’s background and interests to establish a rapport

Hello, I am your buddy - Here is a simple introductory email template to get you started. Please use your own friendly and engaging style to make our new hires feel welcome. And just cut and paste into an email.

First Week

Coordinate with the operations team and assist the new employee in using Catalpa’s email, Slack, Trello board, Xero, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Github and Specify if necessary. Take the employee out for coffee or lunch (or virtually) Know more about the new employee Introduce the new employee to his/ her colleagues from the same project or program.

First Month

Schedule half an hour weekly meetings with the new employee. Check-in with the employee in between regularly scheduled meetings to see how things are going and if he/she has any questions. Continue introducing the employee to others. Share experience on the program you're working with (what working well, what need to be improved, etc) Encourage the new employee to share his/her knowledge, tips, tools, and technique that they learned from previous work experience Escalate concerns or problems to the program manager/team lead in case you are unable to deal with them.

Month Two and Three

Meet bi-weekly for half an hour Be available for conversations via slack and email Share project updates on both sides, give advise if needed, and find any solution together if encounter any issues Invite the employee to relevant social events or relevant workshops and introduce him/her to others Escalate concerns or problems to the program manager/team lead in case you are unable to deal with them.

By the end of the 3 months Give the opportunity to the new employee to provide feedback on the onboarding buddy process.