ONBOARDING TIP: THE BUDDY SYSTEM

Why not adopt the buddy system as an onboarding strategy? In a buddy system, you appoint a seasoned member of your organization to serve as a mentor or "buddy" to your new employee. Of the top 100 training programs ranked by Training Magazine in 2004, 87% use a mentoring program during onboarding.

Employees who are interested in participating in the buddy system volunteer to participate. Volunteer is a key word here. You do not want an employee who is less than enthusiastic about the role to serve as a buddy, as it likely would have the opposite effect of the goals you are setting out to accomplish with the program. Lack of enthusiasm can be as contagious as enthusiasm.

"No one will volunteer to be a buddy," you say. "Everyone is too busy." Well, there is an incentive for being a buddy! At the end of the established "buddy period," the new employee is asked to rate their buddy through an interview or questionnaire. If a new employee feels that the buddy did a good job, the buddy can be rewarded under an employee recognition program or other acknowledgement system.

The volunteer buddies must meet your established criteria (high-performing, a set minimum number of years of service as a state employee, particular characteristics, etc.) before they are admitted into the buddy program. Then, they must go through a training course. Following the course, the buddy can be assigned to a new employee. The buddy will work with the new employee's supervisor and will be charged with carrying out a number of activities with the new employee over an established period of time (six months to a year).

Activities will include both in-office and off-site activities. Off-site activities are particularly important in the case of a new hire who has recently moved to the area or in the case of an employee who has worked in the city, but not in that particular part of town. The buddy should help the new employee acclimate to the new surroundings, acquaint them with other buildings in the area, etc.