Remote Onboarding
What have we done to make our remote onboarding process successful?
While this past year threw us a curveball at Trustpilot, the COVID-19 pandemic has also been a time for team growth. We’ve welcomed new members to our engineering and tech teams from across the globe. During this time, we’ve adapted our onboarding process to a remote approach.
Here are a few tips that we implemented at Trustpilot to keep our new colleagues feeling welcomed and supported without a physical office.
Let’s call our new colleague Ragnar.
Assign a buddy
Ragnar should be assigned a “buddy”, who’s been working at Trustpilot for at least a year. The buddy knows that they’re in charge of the new colleague’s onboarding and that it will take a large chunk of their time and energy in the beginning (approx. two weeks), which is accounted for in their workload.
Ragnar should be notified that the buddy is completely available for his needs. This is crucial for remote onboarding to ensure Ragnar feels supported.
Build knowledge slowly (really slowly!) and gradually
Aim to strike the right balance between self-work and lectures. Take into account that it’s completely acceptable if Ragnar is not on top of all his work. Some tasks may seem super simple for a senior colleague but maybe too much for Ragnar just yet.
For example, the first 3–4 days should be the perfect balance of setting up a computer and having 1–3 hours (not more!) of professional lectures about how we work. I advise slowly reading through product information on the Support Center, some nice front end walkthroughs, and a few on architecture. We try to avoid any code for the first week. We believe this is the right approach for remote onboarding because it allows us to understand where Ragnar’s level is. There will be plenty of time to code, so no need to rush into that just yet. :)
Create a structured plan with straightforward tasks for the first two weeks
This plan should be very detailed to ensure that Ragnar always has a task to complete or something to learn and doesn’t spend too much time looking at the ceiling!
Choose tasks for Ragnar based on his experience level, but that is still interesting and versatile. Aim for anything that will allow him to explore different areas in the system and support gradual knowledge building. We gathered and prioritized a few tasks in advance, which had lengthy descriptions with many links, code snippets, and directions. This is super important in remote onboarding because it allows Ragnar to sit and complete tasks alone, without feeling that he’s bothering others for help. My advice is to choose features that span a few services and are more e2e than nasty bugs no one wants to touch.
Push code in the first two weeks to production
It’s important for any onboarding process to foster a feeling of contribution and accomplishment. In the first week, we’ve seen it’s best to spend time setting up the machine and building the first task’s required knowledge base. We spent time running local env and looking at my personal tips and tricks about running the local env and interactions between services. This is helpful for Ragnar’s sense of accomplishment.
Communication
This is arguably the most important element of a remote onboarding process. It’s best to build and encourage direct communication with Ragnar. In the first week, have a 30 min session every end of the day to:
- Recap the new things Ragnar learned.
- Discuss the agenda for the next day.
- Answer any questions or do a quick walkthrough in some areas of the system.
Moreover, it’s important for the buddy to often check on Ragnar until he’s comfortable asking questions himself. It’s more of a pull model rather than waiting for questions to arrive. In this way, we can be sure that all relevant knowledge is transferred. It’s possible that Ragnar doesn’t even know he’s missing something to perform the task, and it’s up to his buddy and new colleagues to find out that not only point it out but explain it to him.
I recommend having a gradual introduction to the other teams: slowly building up his internal network while adding a broader understanding of your company’s products and connections. Regular one-on-ones with a manager are advantageous to avoid any doubt on overall alignment. They also give the feeling of support, from not only the team but also from a managerial perspective.
Involve more team members and domain experts in the onboarding process
As a buddy, it can be demanding to be 100% invested in the remote onboarding process. So I recommend outsourcing sessions with other colleagues or team members. Having pre-planned the first two weeks, it was straightforward to book those sessions in advance. The social aspect is also important here. This is a good opportunity to get to know other people and try to have some ”fun” at the beginning of all the meetings.
Focus
It’s important to stay focused on the process. Avoid scheduling any meetings with other teams in the first two weeks, as it can be overwhelming. I believe it’s important to stay focused on successfully performing the first 1–2 tasks within the first two weeks and invest in building the knowledge around those first tasks — and them only.
Today, a couple of months after Ragnar’s onboarding, it seems that this focused approach was a success! Ragnar is picking up new tasks from different areas quickly and intuitively. And lastly, he’s supported by his colleagues, even while working remotely.
