For the past year, we have been planning and improving our induction process and so we recently implemented a new global induction strategy for Nordcloud. In this blog post, I'll shed some light on our induction process and development opportunities.
As we all know, sometimes things can get really hectic, there are multiple on-going projects, people are busy and yes, we get it, sometimes all the steps in the induction process are not the first things in mind - however, we truly believe that dedicated time and well structured steps for new employees' induction makes a huge difference in the long run.
That's why we started with two clear objectives on what we work towards to:
#1 Make a lasting impression and give warm welcome
We ensure a common frame to welcome new employees - while ensuring kick start is also a fun experience
Company vibe, ways of working and services are discussed with everyone regardless of role, site or unit while the most important part of induction, role based one, has also clear guidelines
#2 Elevate tenure & performance
Global Induction frame is for 2 weeks, and we have a way to collect feedback - that's built in for the first 6 months of employment
We want to digitise as many manual elements of induction as possible, and have repeatable content toensure even more structured process and therefore ultimate business value.
Nordcloud's induction starts already in the recruitment process.
It's so important to know not only the role and tasks of a company you're joining, but for example ways of working, company policies & services, culture & people, career development opportunities and of course the practical things like tools, dress code, benefits or schedule for your first days.
✍️ After offer discussions and signing employment contract, the new joiner is welcomed by our Talent Acceleration team and Hiring Manager via phone & email. It's time for all the practical preparation (work permits, systems, tools, welcome swag, schedules etc). We will also send short introduction videos to get to know our people and plans already prior to official start date.
On the first day, as with anyone always, there is a lot of information, yet excitement and many new people to meet. It's time for the local welcome.
? ? We'll make sure your systems and tools are all set up, give you a tour of the office and go through our Employee Guide. One of the cool things that we did with Trello is also Personal Induction cards where you can track your own induction process, make sure that you participate in everything that is planned for you in a time that works for you and this way you can already get used to the independent and flexible (but supportive) ways of working that we like. That said, your team lead and managers are also of course doing their best to make sure that you get all the information you need and they'll also take you out for a lunch with your new colleagues.
In the afternoon it's time to start with our Global Induction sessions, giving everyone a chance to speak with our CEO about our vision, mission and strategy. This session is followed by another session with our Global People Operations Lead, who shares our history, values and career development opportunities as well as gives guidance to our daily tools. All of these are live meetings, but thanks to 2019, you can obviously join remotely too, via Hangouts.
We use Slack actively for communication and you will be invited to all the relevant channels and get a warm welcome from other global Nordcloudians - it's time for a short introduction about you and your role, but also about your hobbies and passions. Welcome new friends!? ? ? ?
??♀️ The first week goes past quick with global and local role-based induction sessions as you will get an understanding of:
our Customer Cloud Journey and our services
what our Product Areas & Service lines do and how you can select your focus area and contribute to it
your personal development plan involving trainings and certificates that you will agree on with your manager (everyone has an independent training budget and time off budgeted for learning & development).
During the second week, you will get an idea of your role in the Cloud Journey. We will be:
agreeing project priorities
learning best practices and reference solutions
learning about our productised services
making sure your Nordcloudian CV is on point and all security policies are in place.
✔ Now you have completed your first two weeks and have a good overall understanding on all the important factors for your successful journey at Nordcloud.
We have a bunch of great tools to systematically keep track of your happiness and well being as we go along. You can always follow up and contribute to your own and your teams' journey with digital tools like Trello or Officevibe and we are continuously analysing data but most importantly, you have learned that at Nordcloud, we have an open and transparent culture where you can and should ask whenever something is unclear, or if you need any help with any matter or when you have ideas and suggestions to share!
Our new set of values is well integrated to our ways of working - even in our induction process you can see us working towards common goals:
We make a difference We win together We work smart We grow together
Read more about our values and how they came alive here.
If you'd like to hear more about our induction process, here's a good article from one of our Senior Cloud Architects about his first 6 weeks at Nordcloud. You are also more than welcome to get in touch with Anna who coordinates our global induction.
