By Jack Martin
Talent Acquisition Specialist at OpenPayd
The first day in the office is not what it used to be. In a COVID world the traditional morning induction, office-wide “hello”s, and welcome lunch are no longer a fixture of a new job. Instead, inductions are carried out on Zoom and we make our introductions on Slack.
Naturally, the typical questions and anxieties around getting to know colleagues, hitting the ground running, and finding out who to get in touch with for help are all still present. The new world of work is taking some getting used to, and at OpenPayd we are supporting all our new and existing people throughout the transition.
We’ve also been actively recruiting throughout the pandemic for our offices globally, and our new starters have had a different onboarding process to the one we operated in the past. We’ve come up with some new initiatives to engage, communicate with, and most importantly welcome our new starters into the family, even (or especially!) when their new work environment is most likely their living room or home office. We’re basing our processes on trust, flexibility, and patience, and we’re seeing great results for all parties.
Emma, our Legal and Compliance Assistant, is one of many recent joiners who has started their role remotely. She’s made an amazing start with us despite not yet meeting all of the team in person, so we wanted to get her insight into her experiences of starting in this manner.
Emma said: “Joining a company remotely was a new experience for me, but everyone at OpenPayd made me feel so welcome. My first few months have been filled with lots of exciting and challenging projects, and I really feel like I'm making a positive impact with the work that I contribute.”
We also tasked her with coming up with some top tips for getting to know your colleagues remotely. She recommended:
1. Take part in any social events the company is doing outside of work, for example virtual pub quizzes. This is a nice way to get to know colleagues beyond the working environment.
2. Invest time into meeting as many colleagues as possible via video, as this helps your colleagues put a face to a name.
3. Sharing photos or videos of pets, cooking, or any other interests you have is a great way to engage with your colleagues. You never know, you might have some shared interests!
We'll be sure to encourage all new remote starters with these tips, and it's great to see the positive start you have made with us Emma!
