Onboarding
Create a buddy programme with a real job to do
An onboarding buddy helps a new hire navigate everyday practices, relationships, and low-stakes questions. Choose someone with context and time, define what they do and do not own, and provide a simple meeting rhythm with prompts. Managers remain responsible for goals, feedback, performance, and resources; the buddy adds a trusted peer path into the team.
On this page
Define the buddy's purpose
The buddy explains how work moves, introduces useful people, decodes team routines, and offers a safe place for ordinary questions. They are not a substitute manager, confidential counsellor, or informal evaluator. Put these boundaries in writing for the buddy and new hire. Clear scope reduces pressure and helps both people know when to involve the manager or another official owner.
Choose for context and capacity
Select a peer who understands the relevant workflows, communicates patiently, and can protect time during the first weeks. Avoid automatically choosing the busiest top performer or the same generous person for every joiner. Consider time zones, language comfort, work location, and role interfaces. Ask for consent and adjust workload rather than treating buddy work as invisible goodwill.
Provide a light structure
Suggest contact before joining, a first-day welcome, brief check-ins during week one, and gradually less frequent conversations. Give prompts on tools, meeting norms, decision paths, common acronyms, and people to know. Leave space for the new hire's questions. A rigid script can make the relationship performative, while no structure often lets it disappear after lunch on day one.
- Role boundaries shared with both people
- Buddy time protected by their manager
- First two weeks of check-ins scheduled
- Escalation routes for access or work issues
- End point and feedback prompt agreed
Use the buddy for navigation
Illustrative example: a remote designer is paired with an engineer who often collaborates with design. The buddy explains how product decisions are documented, introduces the designer to a research coordinator, and helps interpret a crowded review meeting. When role priorities conflict, the buddy directs the question to the manager rather than answering. The relationship improves navigation without creating shadow management.
Review and recognise the work
After the planned period, ask each participant separately what helped, what felt unclear, and which recurring questions should improve standard onboarding. Thank the buddy and make their contribution visible in a proportionate way. Rotate the responsibility and learn which pairings work. Do not judge programme value by forced friendship; reliable access to context and people is a useful result. Review whether the buddy relationship worked across remote or office patterns and schedule overlap. A mismatch does not require anyone to fail; change the pairing or add another source of context when needed. Keep the original buddy informed so the adjustment feels like support, not a hidden judgment.
Next step
Write a one-paragraph buddy charter, choose someone with relevant context and protected time, and schedule the first two weeks of contact before the joiner arrives.