Through The Keyhole #013: The 5 ways in which we give new employees the red carpet treatment

1 April 2016 | About a 4 minute read
Tags: ANDbootcamp, ANDigital Traditions, ANDis, buddys, HBDI, Through the Keyhole, Welcome drinks

We’ve all been the new kid on the block at least once in our careers, we all know it can be a nerve racking experience. At AND Digital we believe it doesn’t need to be that way and that’s why we do things a little differently from the moment you apply, and beyond. We like to call it ‘rolling out the red carpet…’

Our onboarding process is one of a kind and we want everyone to feel special from the day they accept the offer and sign on the dotted line to become an AND Digital employee (or ANDi, as we know them) to their first day in the office or at ANDbootcamp. Here are the 5 ways we are doing it:

Assigning a buddy

Each ANDi is assigned a buddy – who becomes their ‘go to’ person if they have any questions about AND Digital. The buddies are carefully matched up and usually have similar years of experience to the new ANDi, along with others things in common. Throughout the first weeks, the buddy will support the new ANDi and help them to settle in. Prior to joining the buddies also arrange a coffee catch up to answer any questions and to give the new ANDi an insight on what to expect from their first days.

 

Welcome drinks

About 5 weeks before the ANDi commences Bootcamp, – we hold an informal welcome drinks so they can get to know their fellow squad members as well as the Ground Ops team. This helps to break the ice and get to know some people prior to their first day! We also invite along the previous squad, so it gives them a chance to ask all their AND Digital related questions and get answers from people who have just been through the same experience. It’s a way to settle nerves before they join, and a good chance to find out more about the kind of work we do at AND Digital.

Gifts to represent your ANDtitle

One of our favourites… ANDgifts! Each ANDi is given a personal gift at the welcome drinks to represent their ANDtitle (a personal job title that each ANDi gives themselves to represent themselves outside of work). For instance; Gary our Associate AND Valencia Fanatic – was given a Valencia Scarf as a gift, as he is a huge Valencia FC fan. It’s just something small but it goes a long way to making people see them as more than just an employee, they’re an ANDi!

Prior Communications

About a month before anyone joins AND Digital, our recruitment team send out an e-mail to the whole company with information about the new ANDi. This gives colleagues a chance to learn a little about the new joiner, and helps people keep in touch with new joiner activity, it also means on the new joiners first day – everyone already knows their name. The task new ANDis then face is learning everyone else’s!

Email contact and HBDI

After the welcome drinks we start bombarding our new joiners with information, so they are completed clued up from day one. We like to send out a teaser e-mail along with information to complete their HBDI assessment. HBDI is a fascinating personality assessment in which our ANDis see and compare results during bootcamp, to see where their skills and personality types align. We also send out a full starter pack before our ANDis first day of Bootcamp, including an agenda, who will be there on their first day, what the structure of AND Digital looks like and who is in their squad. Now, our new ANDis are ready for squad life at AND Digital!

 

If you’re interested in becoming an ANDi, why not check out our join us page and see for yourself what the red carpet treatment really feels like….

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