Adapttech: employee onboarding
Interview with Sofia Sousa
Sofia is our Office & Human Resources Manager in Portugal. She works daily to look after the team’s well-being, and is always looking for new ways of integration, ensuring that we’re all in the same boat.
As we all know, the world is currently going through tough times, which can be a problem when introducing new members into the company. As our team is always growing, we have had to adapt to this new reality in order to give new employees a smooth transition into their team, even working remotely.
Sofia has created and implemented an Onboarding Process for Adapttech, and will give further insight into the process with this interview.
What is Adapttech's Induction Programme about?
The Induction Programme is a schedule that refers to the first week of each employee and includes a meeting with each member of the team. There is also a presentation of the company's products and projects, a visit to the office as well as our partners. We have our new team member review a few documents, attend meetings with the rest of the team and assign them some tasks so that they can begin working. This whole process has been created to build the employees knowledge of Adapttech in the easiest and most efficient way possible.
What goals did you focus on to create this Induction Programme?
Well, the first thing I thought was "How would I like to have been received?" and from that question, several answers immediately came up: I would like to have the opportunity to get to know the whole team, to know the company's conduct, to have my tasks well defined and clear, to feel the openness of the whole team so I could answer questions, to have the freedom to make “beginner's mistakes,” and get to know the company's projects as much as possible. It was these responses set my goals in this project.
How was the process of creating the programme with the team? Is it easy to coordinate everything with them?
Of course, a HR process should not be built by a single person or by top management only. Involving the entire team is essential and should be considered as such. With that in my mind, I decided to hold an individual meeting with each person to find out what ideas, concerns and suggestions each had regarding the company's Onboarding. From these meetings, I received many suggestions and ideas which were necessary for the success of the process I was about to create. I also discovered that it was important to meet with Team Leaders and members a week prior to the entry of our new employee, as well as at the beginning of this process, to ensure that all were clear and comfortable with the upcoming Onboarding week....and of course, this worked out very well.
What are the most relevant steps of the Induction Programme? From signing the contract to the first day of work.
When the contract is signed by the new candidate, the start date is scheduled. After that, the IT team has to create all accesses, from email to the software accounts that they will need. At the same time, I prepare the Welcome Kit, their workspace, their computer and computer equipment... Well, everything that the new employee will need to work.
After all this is prepared, two welcome emails are sent: one for the entire company and one for the candidate themself. Both emails contain the schedule of the Induction Programme, the functions that the new starter will perform and the team where that they will join. The new employee also receives general company documents and some relevant instructions on how to navigate some of our systems e.g., our HR software.
Finally, on their first day of work, they attend all prescheduled Induction Programme meetings on Microsoft Team, and we work together to make sure everything goes smoothly which encourages team bonding and motivation.
How important is the welcome email to this process?
The welcome email is extremely important for ensuring the alignment of the team with the objectives of this process, and the smooth insertion of the programme schedule with the team’s diaries to facilitate the extra work that the week of Induction Programme requires. We are mindful that this are very different when considering. We cannot eat lunch or socialize outside of the office together as we normally do.
Tell me about the welcome kit. What is its importance and how was it thought?
The Welcome Kit is what allows the new employee to “wear the company colours,” so to speak. From the backpack, to the water bottle, to hoodies and the team's T-shirt (amongst a few more surprises I don't want to reveal right now); the Welcome Kit is the first welcome treat and makes new starters feel like part of the group. I believe that what is truly important, is to have the workspace of the new employee i.e., desk, chair, computer, drawers, etc all clean and ready, to give a sense of belonging and show that the Adapttech gives employees all the support necessary in order to work, learn, and evolve.
What kind of feedback have you had from the team and new members?
The first thing that is done after the week of the completion of the Induction Programme is undoubtedly a request for feedback. Some feedback comes naturally, others I had to ask for. Overall, the feedback has been positive. It is a very busy week, both for the team and for the new employee, but in the end, the employee ends up being able to talk to each member of the various teams, getting to know the whole culture of the company and, most importantly, has a clear definition of their responsibilities.
We also must recognize that this Onboarding Process works in our company because although we are a young and relatively small team, our culture of transparency, easygoingness, recreational team building activities and dedication to both our work and mission, inspire, integrate, and motivate each new employee.
What benefits does this onboarding have for the company, in your opinion? And what were your biggest challenges during the creation of this process?
As I said, the main mission of this Onboarding Process is the total integration of new employees, and I believe that this has been successful. We consider every new starter to be another step in the company's growth, and an increase in our work capacity. Every induction is important, as we want all our employees to experience the unique and unforgettable Adapttech welcome. Despite the constant adjustments that are being made, both in time between projects and the dynamics that come with the addition of every new employee, this process has been a success.
This is the first HR process that has been implemented in our company, and in 2021 we hope to be able to define, develop, and create many more. It goes without saying that the more we do this process, the happier we are, as this means our company is growing.
