How to Build an Onboarding Buddy Program

If you’re wondering if you should implement an onboarding buddy program at your company - the answer is yes. An onboarding buddy can help make the transition to a new job easier for new hires. Remember your first day at your company? It’s often less overwhelming when you feel like you have a friend or someone to guide you.

Onboarding buddies provide support and can answer questions that might feel awkward to ask a manager and help new employees understand the company culture. It’s also valuable for fostering social connections with colleagues outside of their own team and can help new hires feel more connected to the business.

What is an onboarding buddy?

An onboarding buddy is a colleague assigned to help a new employee acclimate to a company. The buddy provides guidance on company culture, processes, and social dynamics, making the transition smoother. This role often includes answering questions, introducing the new hire to team members, and offering support during the initial weeks or months. It's a great way to foster connections and ease any feelings of overwhelm that can come with starting a new job.

Why implement an onboarding buddy program?

1. Boost productivity: According to research by Microsoft, new hires who met with their onboarding buddy reported feeling more productive in their roles. Specifically, 56% of those who met once within their first 90 days felt their buddy helped them, while this increased to 73% for two to three meetings, 86% for four to eight meetings, and 97% for more than eight meetings. The frequency of meetings directly correlated with new hires’ perceptions of their productivity.
   
2. Increased Retention: A supportive onboarding experience can lead to higher job satisfaction, reducing turnover rates. New hires with an onboarding buddy report experiencing a 36% increase in employee satisfaction at 90 days according to research. Given that the cost of replacing an individual employee can range from one-half to two times the employee's annual salary - businesses can reduce significant costs by implementing initiatives that can help improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover.
   
3. Greater social connection: According to research, quality social relationships in the workplace are crucial for employee health and well-being. Positive connections—such as supportive interactions and a sense of belonging—enhance well-being and help mitigate workplace stress. These relationships also boost productivity by fostering effective teamwork. Happier, healthier employees tend to take fewer sick days, incur lower medical costs, and are less likely to leave the company.

Steps to Building an Effective Onboarding Buddy Program

Communicate and outline expectations required of onboarding buddy with an Onboarding Buddy Guide

When implementing an onboarding buddy program, it is important to provide a set of guidelines and outline expectations. Set a time period for the program so it doesn’t run indefinitely and onboarding buddies are clear on the commitment required of them.

We recommend that onboarding buddy programs run for between six to eight weeks. An onboarding buddy guideline would be a handy document to provide buddies.

Onboarding Buddy Guide Checklist:

Program Overview

• Purpose and goals of the onboarding buddy program.
• Importance of the buddy role in new hire success.

Buddy Responsibilities:

• Detailed list of what is expected from the buddy (e.g., check-ins, social introductions, providing support).

Meeting Structure:

• Suggested frequency and duration of meetings (e.g., weekly check-ins for the first month).
• Topics to cover in each meeting (e.g., company culture, role-specific tasks, social integration).

Resources and Tools:

• Links to relevant company documents, training materials, and resources.
• Contact information for HR or other support teams.

Communication Guidelines:

• Tips for effective communication, including active listening and providing constructive feedback.
• Encouragement to maintain a positive and supportive tone.

Questions to Ask:

• Suggested questions for buddies to ask new hires to encourage dialogue and understanding of their needs and concerns.

Encouraging Engagement:

• Ideas for team-building activities or social events to help integrate the new hire.

Feedback Process:

• Instructions for providing feedback on the onboarding experience, both for new hires and the buddy program itself.

Check in with Onboarding Buddies

As with implementing any initiative, it is important to check in with onboarding buddies to see if they are meeting the expectations of the responsibility. Check-ins can be in the form of a quick message or email or even a simple 1-question automated survey to ensure they’ve met the new hire.

Gather feedback from Onboarding Buddies and New Hires

Measuring the success of an onboarding buddy program can be done through various methods and metrics. Here are some effective approaches:

Feedback Surveys:

• Conduct surveys for both new hires and buddies to gather insights on their experiences. Ask about the perceived value of the buddy relationship, helpfulness, and areas for improvement.

Time to Productivity:

• Measure how quickly new hires reach key performance indicators (KPIs) or milestones compared to previous cohorts. Faster integration can reflect a positive impact of the buddy program.

Engagement Scores:

• Use employee engagement surveys to assess overall job satisfaction and morale among new hires. Improved scores can signal effective support from buddies.

Buddy Feedback:

• Gather feedback from buddies about their experiences and challenges. This can help identify how well they feel equipped to support new hires.

Implementing an onboarding buddy program can have huge benefits to your business. While it can seem time-consuming there are ways to simplify and automate the onboarding buddy program with the right tools.