Digital Opsessions

Why I’m telling you this?

Because understanding that a smooth onboarding process can not only boost employee satisfaction and retention but also help reduce hiring costs due to quick turnovers.

How it started vs how it’s going

When I joined Optemization as our team’s second hire, the onboarding process was almost non-existent. We had very little internal documentation set up at that point, so I remember having to learn a lot on my own and just figuring things out as I went — not the most ideal scenario!

However, over the last few years, we developed a solid onboarding process, which we continuously iterated on with each new hire to improve the experience.

Just over the past couple of months, we onboarded three new team members, and they all have told us how smooth the onboarding process was and even commented on how much better it was compared to other companies they previously worked for.

Our team members were able to hit the ground running in half the time, thanks to our efficient onboarding process. This was largely due to the efforts of our Chief of Staff, Natalie, who spearheaded the creation of our onboarding process.

An onboarding dashboard in Notion

From the moment a new team member joins our company, they are set up with an onboarding dashboard in Notion that includes a warm welcome from our team, a series of tasks, video tutorials, and a wealth of guides and wikis to facilitate their immersion into our company. The onboarding process is thoughtfully divided into manageable sections to prevent overwhelm and encourage early wins.

A dedicated onboarding buddy

Along with the onboarding dashboard, our new hires are teamed up with an "onboarding buddy" in their time zone. Having a dedicated person they can reach out to and shadow (over Zoom since we are a fully remote team) helps get them up to speed quickly. From the mentor's perspective, we also provide an onboarding Buddy Checklist wiki explaining everything that needs to happen during the few weeks of the onboarding process.

1:1s with our team

Another integral part of our onboarding process is having our new hires meet weekly with our Chief of Staff to provide additional support during the first couple of months.

Our new hires also have the opportunity to set up 30-minute Zoom chats with the rest of the team. We've found this helps our new hires feel much more comfortable interacting with our team since they get to know everyone more personally. This isn't just for team members within the same department but applies across the company (however, it's worth noting that we have a small team!)

For example, in the past two months, we've welcomed three new hires to our service delivery team, and I had the opportunity to chat with all of them despite being on a different team. I've noticed these 1:1s help build an inclusive, friendly, and collaborative culture across the company.

Our #GetHelp Slack channel

We've also set up a special Slack channel called #gethelp. It's like a virtual safety net where new team members can ask any questions to the whole team, so anyone can jump in to lend a hand. This collaborative vibe not only makes us stronger as a team but also informs our Chief of Staff that there are still some fuzzy parts in our onboarding process that could be improved. We also use a to inform the team that the question has been answered.

Quick takeaways

Onboarding is crucial – it's the first chance to make a lasting impression on new hires. How you welcome your new teammates sets the tone for their entire experience with your company and team. A thoughtful onboarding process can be the difference between them feeling excited or overwhelmed. Make sure they have a clear step-by-step process to help them navigate their first 30-60-90 days, and consider ways to foster connections, like setting up one-on-one meetings or pairing them with a buddy who can show them the ropes.

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If your onboarding process could use an overhaul, let's talk and see how we can help!