Virtual drinks and welcome videos: how Covid-19 has changed company onboarding
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London — Joining a new company can be tough at the best of times, with bosses to impress, skills to learn and new colleagues to befriend.
But that task becomes a whole lot harder when the “onboarding” is done during a pandemic that has forced millions to work from home, leaving new hires to judge colleagues on their taste in curtains and conduct on Zoom.
The companies that get it right should have an expanded, grateful workforce, but get it wrong and new hires could find it hard to develop team spirit or a sense of belonging to the firm.
One young trader hired by a major European bank as the British lockdown began said remote working had made corporate culture even tougher to navigate.
“It's not exactly easy for your new boss to explain the specifics of office politics to you without putting their foot in it,” she said, declining to be named due to company policy.
“It does feel like it’s taking longer to feel loyalty to my new employer than it might have otherwise. I feel loyal to the team but not to the wider bank.”
A new joiner at a different, London-based bank said his interviewers had appeared to study his bookshelves and photos while asking questions, and that he does not expect to meet his colleagues in person until 2021, though he joined in May.
For Sam Thompson, who joined money saving and investment app Moneybox, a lack of face-to-face contact did make some early interactions with colleagues feel more transactional. But he appreciated the lengths the company has gone to to make it work.
“We’ve been getting Deliveroo vouchers and we’ve been sitting around our computers while talking to one another and having lunch,” he said. “It’s probably the best induction into a company that I’ve ever had,” said the quality assurance engineer, who has had several jobs in six years in the industry.
Founded in 2016, Moneybox has taken on 35 new hires during the lockdown to a total headcount of 135. It initially held off from filling roles requiring interaction with multiple teams, such as developers, Jack Johnstone, head of human resources and talent, said, but overcame those fears.
Orientation process
Its approach mirrors those of major banks including Standard Chartered, Citi and Deutsche Bank, which have all rapidly redesigned their interview and orientation process.
Citi hired about 3,840 new staff in ...
But that task becomes a whole lot harder when the “onboarding” is done during a pandemic that has forced millions to work from home, leaving new hires to judge colleagues on their taste in curtains and conduct on Zoom.
The companies that get it right should have an expanded, grateful workforce, but get it wrong and new hires could find it hard to develop team spirit or a sense of belonging to the firm.
One young trader hired by a major European bank as the British lockdown began said remote working had made corporate culture even tougher to navigate.
“It's not exactly easy for your new boss to explain the specifics of office politics to you without putting their foot in it,” she said, declining to be named due to company policy.
“It does feel like it’s taking longer to feel loyalty to my new employer than it might have otherwise. I feel loyal to the team but not to the wider bank.”
A new joiner at a different, London-based bank said his interviewers had appeared to study his bookshelves and photos while asking questions, and that he does not expect to meet his colleagues in person until 2021, though he joined in May.
For Sam Thompson, who joined money saving and investment app Moneybox, a lack of face-to-face contact did make some early interactions with colleagues feel more transactional. But he appreciated the lengths the company has gone to to make it work.
“We’ve been getting Deliveroo vouchers and we’ve been sitting around our computers while talking to one another and having lunch,” he said. “It’s probably the best induction into a company that I’ve ever had,” said the quality assurance engineer, who has had several jobs in six years in the industry.
Founded in 2016, Moneybox has taken on 35 new hires during the lockdown to a total headcount of 135. It initially held off from filling roles requiring interaction with multiple teams, such as developers, Jack Johnstone, head of human resources and talent, said, but overcame those fears.
Orientation process
Its approach mirrors those of major banks including Standard Chartered, Citi and Deutsche Bank, which have all rapidly redesigned their interview and orientation process.
Citi hired about 3,840 new staff in ...