Our onboarding’s myelination 🏂

I want to share some onboarding hacks with everyone! Let’s take a look at how we approached onboarding at Productboard.

A year ago, our onboarding process didn’t exist. There wasn’t even a sophisticated checklist. Honestly, it didn’t need to. We were a small team of 20 super-geeky individuals working to build and develop a product management tool. Everyone invested all their energy into it, and every new team member would help with whatever was needed. One of our most senior backend engineers even programmed frontend, took support calls, and helped draft the architecture, all while washing dishes.

As we started to grow, new team members were joining on random days with different tasks, and it started to feel confusing. We realized we needed to implement onboarding processes to improve the experience for our new starters.

I’m excited to talk about the development of our onboarding process, how we make the first days fun, where we are now, and I may share some post-mortem examples. And because we still have a long journey ahead, I’m curious to hear about your own onboarding hacks. Together, we can make our onboarding the best in the world! 🏄🏻‍♀

First days

🤓 Slack Hacks for #onboarding

A couple of months ago, we hosted a cool hackathon with our beloved community of supersmart fellow hackers. 🤓 With them, we focused on implementing a bunch of useful people operations apps, one of which was created by our MicTech. It only took him 23 minutes! 🌪 😅 And yes, when I mentioned the super-senior backend engineer who was washing dishes in the beginning, I was thinking of our GREAT MicTech (engineer).

As we scale rapidly, it can be challenging to keep track of all the new faces, especially for those of us with memory issues like old-mother dementia 🧠 (me). To combat this, we created a Slack application called Riddler, where new team members can practice remembering the names and faces of all Productboarders. All they have to do is type “/play” in the app and they can start the game.

🍩🍩🍩 Our donut sessions

There are many tactics that can be used to promote a culture of trust and unite remote employees, but one cool tool is Donut. Donut is a bot for Slack, a popular collaborative communication tool that includes real-time messaging, archiving, and search capabilities. When I added this app to our Slack, it became very popular. I remember when I forgot to turn it on once, and people missed it badly! Now, every Wednesday morning, Donut randomly pairs people from Productboard to encourage collaboration across our organization.

Once a pairing is made, the duo collaborates on a place to meet for donuts, or our favorite energizer — maté, lunch, or coffee. This interaction can happen in person or remotely via Zoom, since we have remote colleagues as well, and it’s crucial to connect with them too! Donut can help employees to strengthen culture, build rapport, and connect with teams they may not have as much interaction with.

Our #hello channel on Slack 👋🏻

On the first day at Productboard, we ask you to introduce yourself to every team member in person. We may even jokingly ask you to sing during our All Hands meeting in front of everyone (just kidding) 😅. Additionally, we encourage you to say “hi” to anyone who may have missed your first day or who is working remotely across the ocean 🌊.

🎮 Gamification of our onboarding

When working in a large corporation, I remember repeating this sentence during all New Hires Orientations:

Hi, welcome on board. This is your first day. Let's dive deeply into all the boring but necessary administrative tasks we need to do to be compliant.

Yay. Sounds exciting right? I actually made it more exciting than it supposed to be.

But now, we’re working to change this approach (while still staying compliant 😅) to make the first day of our new hires the best in the world 🎉. We want to make them as excited as possible and fill them with endless energy for the rest of the thrilling week! And as proof that it works, check out what our new hires say about their first days!

And as proof it works, check what our new joiners say about their first days!

• Maurice and his podcast on Spotify #peopleofproductboard, or the remote interview from an Indian taxi or the first-month blog post.
• Dottie and her first best week in Barcelona. 🏝
• Alex, about how all paths lead to Productboard 🚀.

We also use a form of gamification during our onboarding. For example, on the first day, our new hires get their first assignment: to complete Productboard’s scavenger hunt! This helps them to socialize in real life, it’s a fun and beneficial tool. By the end of the week, they can become the best friend of our Verča and a brewmaster. Two birds with one stone. 🐦🐦

Your welcome — love 💖package

Haha, ☝🏼 sometimes it feels like we’re a squad of happy hippies 🌈🧜🏼‍♀️.

Maybe we are, but everyone at Productboard always makes sure that you feel warmly welcomed and have everything you need on your first day. As a new employee, you may be a bit nervous, so we want to make your first day as enjoyable as possible. Every new hire receives as much love as they can handle, with balloons and sweet treats! 🎈

First weeks

🗓 Create and share the agenda ahead

Be prepared by scheduling time with all stakeholders in the calendar. Make sure your pre-boarding checklist is completed. Chase the responsible team lead/buddy to ensure they are also prepared and not on vacation during this crucial week. We’ve created an onboarding agenda for the first weeks in Notion and share it with the new hire a day before their first day so they know what to expect and the topics covered in the coming days. This is beneficial for both parties.

💡 8 tips for even smoother onboarding experience

1. Communication is key! Make sure the new starter and their team lead are on the same page by setting up regular one-on-one meetings.
2. Set clear goals for the new hire’s 30–60–90 days and ensure expectations between the manager and the new starter are very clear.
3. Find out how the new starter prefers to receive feedback, as introverts may prefer a different approach than extroverts.
4. Learn about what makes the new starter grumpy so you can work together to prevent or address any issues that may arise.
5. Help the new starter get to know everyone by scheduling lunches with colleagues and even a session with the founders.
6. Allow the new starter to shadow your sales team’s calls to gain a better understanding of the product and company.
7. Invite the new starter to attend internal and community meetups and team building events.
8. Encourage the new starter to organize their own activities, such as a yoga session or a beer outing with other new hires.

Remember, there are plenty of other great ideas out there! Share your own in the comments below. 🙏🏼

👀 4 weeks check template

Take some time to reflect on the new starter’s experience by grabbing a coffee with them and taking notes. This is a great opportunity to look back on what went well, what went wrong, and how the new hire is feeling during their first weeks. It also helps identify areas for improvement in our onboarding processes.

• 🌡 Mood Temperature: Start by asking the new hire to rate their mood on a scale of 1–10. This helps get an overall quantitative sense of their mood and if the rating is below 10, ask why and what can be done to improve it.
• 🧑‍💼 Team Leader and Overall Team Support: Discuss the one-on-one meetings with the team leader, goals, and expectations. Are there any blockers making the job more difficult?
• 🤔 Expectations: Talk about how their expectations from the interview process have changed since starting.
• 💪🏼 Challenges: What has been the biggest challenge during their first month?
• 🌈 Culture: Are they comfortable with the company culture? Are there any areas for improvement in communication?
• 🏋🏻‍♀️ Self-Development: What do they hope to learn during their first month and have they set up a personal development plan?
• 💡 Feedback and Ideas: Do they have any other feedback or ideas for improving the onboarding process?
• 🎭 Benefits: Are they aware of all the benefits offered by the company and do they have any suggestions for new ones?

The 4-week check-in is like a secret weapon of onboarding to me as the Head of People, it helps to get a pulse on the new starter’s experience and identify what’s working and what’s not. It’s a chance to get real feedback on the mood temperature, how the team leader and overall team are supporting them, what’s blocking them, how they’re feeling about the culture, and if they’re getting the development they want. Plus, it’s an opportunity to hear what they’re expecting, what’s been the biggest challenge, and if they have any fresh ideas to improve the onboarding process. It’s not just about ticking boxes, it’s about making sure our new starters feel heard and valued, and that we’re always improving the onboarding process for the squad. Let’s make sure our new starters have the best possible experience, and let’s keep it real and make it fun! 🚀

📔 Dictionary

MYELINATION: the development of neural function 🧠 that begins in the peripheral nervous system.