Getting Started with Buddy

A buddy system helps new hires feel supported during their onboarding process

Julianna Kapjian-Pitt avatar
Written by Julianna Kapjian-Pitt
Updated over a week ago

A buddy program allows new hires to engage with peers as they get to know more about their role and the company. Buddies allow new employees the ability to have a go-to person and can share insights gained through their past experiences at the company.

How it works

The Buddy Selection process is designed to give the Manager of a New Hire the ability to pair the New Hire with a current employee that will help them through their first few weeks.

To use Buddy, you must enable a Pyn in the Pre-Onboarding Automation and a Pyn in the Selected as a Buddy Automation.

The Manager Pyn

The first message that you’ll want to enable can be added to the Pre-Onboarding Automation. It will be sent to the manager of the new hire prompting them to select a Buddy for the New Hire.

  • The trigger date of this Pyn is based on the New Hire’s start date, which is why it is included in the Pre-Onboarding Automation.

The Manager Experience

Whether you choose to deliver the message via Email or Slack, the manager will have the ability to select another employe from a dropdown list. Employees who have previously been selected as a buddy for another new hire will have a notification next to their name. There is also a section where the manager can also write a quick note to the employee selected.

The Buddy Pyn

The second Pyn that you’ll want to enable should be added to the Selected As Buddy Automation. This will be sent to the Current Employee that was chosen by the manager to be the Buddy for the New Hire. This Pyn should include helpful information about what is expected of being a Buddy.

  • The manager selecting an employee to be a Buddy will trigger this Pyn, which is why it is included in the Selected As Buddy Automation.

  • Managers will not be able to see this Pyn. If you’d like to give Managers the opportunity to include a note in this message, you can choose to Add a Personalized Note.

FAQ

Q: How can I customize Buddy Pyns to be more personal?

A: Check out our recommendations on how to Personalize your Buddy Pyns with Tokens

Q: What should I include in my onboarding Buddy program?

A: For what to think about as you build your onboarding buddy program, check out How to build an onboarding buddy program that doesn’t suck.

Q: How do I turn on the Automations?

A: This guide will walk you through the steps of Turning on Buddy Automations.

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