Settling into a new job is often a nerve-wracking experience for employees. It’s a moment of truth where they learn whether they have made the right decision and it’s one of the most important opportunities for a business to make a good first impression.
Research tells us that that improving the employee experience over the long term offers massive benefits to businesses so it’s important to boost the early enthusiasm of new recruits and set the foundations for long-term success.
Implementing a buddy system within your workplace is one way to ensure new employees settle into work and don’t lose any momentum when it comes integrating into a new role.
Assigning new recruits with a buddy is way to provide support and guidance in an otherwise unfamiliar workplace and, with the culture of an organisation playing such a huge part in workplace satisfaction, it’s worth implementing.
Buddies can help integrate new recruits and assist in developing a positive work culture by ensuring they feel welcomed and appreciated. A buddy can provide guidance on company culture, do’s and don’t within the office and be a main go-to for any questions.
Simple tasks such as making introductions (and reminding the new recruit of names), showing the new employee around the office and dealing with queries and concerns without disrupting everyone can be completed by a buddy and have a range of benefits.
Not only does this help the new recruit settle faster, it can also mitigate uncertainly or confusion surrounding tasks which results in fewer mistakes. Engaged and happy employees are also more productive and, with 53% of employees frustrated by a lack of personal interactions in the workplace, having a friendly face in the form of a buddy can have a massive impact on the individual emotions of an employee as well as general workplace culture.
How to choose employees to be a buddy
Implementing an effective buddy system isn’t a case of randomly pairing up new and old employees and hoping for the best. Employees should be able to say no if they’re not ready for the task and fully briefed on what their responsibilities will be when it comes to the new recruit.
Buddies should also:
– Have a good understanding of the team’s strengths and weaknesses
– Be aware of work policies and processes
– Have good communication skills
– Embody company values and be a good role model
– Be available during the first few weeks/months of the new employees’ recruitment to ensure they will be able to offer assistance
It’s important to note that buddies should not be mistaken as another supervisor or manager, and it’s not their job to ensure the new recruit is performing in their role. A buddy is simply a friendly face, and a way to assist the transition into a new job.
