Billionaires are going to space. That's our new normal. If the world can adjust to leisurely space travel, we know businesses can adapt to providing meaningful, virtual onboarding experiences. But, building a rocketship is no easy undertaking. You have to make something that can withstand new environments.
So, how can a business offer an onboarding experience that doesn't crash and burn? We just did it with six new hires, and we’re here to tell you exactly what you can expect when you board Major Tom.
Around the world, six new hires — Chloe, Emma, Jenny, Surbhie, Divya, and Kate — recently signed their Major Tom contracts. After two years of remote-hiring learning, we’ve found our groove.
Once you sign on with our agency, you’ll receive a Welcome Package. We send them out to welcome you as a new employee, and hopefully to inspire a feeling of connection to Major Tom, regardless of where you are in the world.
Major Tom’s Welcome box includes:
Your Welcome Package sets you up for success on your first day. With it, you’ll be able to sign in to your computer, set up your Gmail account, and, hopefully, feel more at home working with us. Once you open your company calendar, you’ll see your first mission: Onboarding Introductions with the newest recruits and the HR Manager (aka your Ground Control). Now, you’ve got the tools you need, a friendly hello, and clear instructions for your first day.
Our current predicament of working virtually isn’t going away. We’ll say it loud, one more time, for the members in the back: this is our new normal.
Let’s face it. Billionaires, like Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson aren’t astronauts. Meaning, they needed guidance from actual astronauts during their space adventures. The same can be said for new hires as they go through their onboarding experience.
Agency life can be stressful for someone learning new processes, workflows, and responsibilities. As a new hire, you’ll want time to adjust with free time in your calendars to explore, and the freedom to be curious and ask questions.
No amount of information is going to be retained if your onboarding consists of a one-day crash course on processes and responsibilities — we promise. At Major Tom, we give you time and space to get your hands on the controls and get comfortable with your seat on the rocketship.
Opening up your Google calendar to see planned meetings, events (and of course free time to process all the new information) is, we hope, pretty exciting. If you’re anything like us, a set schedule for the first week in a new job is pretty relieving. As a company, we’re prepared to bring you on board, and set you up for success as we do it.
The first day is all about connecting.
Connecting with your colleagues, getting connected to the platforms and tech stack, and getting used to a new normal. Starting with connection first means that you’re immersed in our company culture and immediately able to connect to our processes, values and most importantly — no matter where you may be in the world — our people.
Right off the bat, you’ll have the freedom to take breaks and work hours that make sense for you and your lifestyle — when we hire you, you’re trusted from day one.
For our new onboardies, comments like “I didn’t give you the password because I was afraid it would overwhelm you” or “only do this if you have time and feel comfortable” tells you that your team members respect the learning process.
We let you ask for the things you need, and try to help you feel comfortable asking questions, and to go digging for things. You get to set boundaries when it comes to needing more or scaling back work wise. We hope this sets the tone for your career at Major Tom.
These days, your co-workers can be spread around the world, that’s part of the beauty of remote work — it allows us as a company to expand our horizons. In the case of our newest batch of hires, Jenny, Emma, and Kate are in Vancouver, Divya and Chloe are in Toronto, Surbhie is currently in India, and our HR lead was in Australia. That’s a lot of timezones to juggle even for the most seasoned group. And a lot of different personalities to juggle. So how does everyone get along and connect?
Well, part of what was special for this group was that Divya and Surbhie learned they were two people from the same nationalities, joining from two different continents and time zones. Jenny and Emma both attended the same program at BCIT. And Chloe and Kate learned they came from similar agency experiences (with similar tenures in their careers). But they were all unified by one thought of putting their best foot forward and working for an organisation that explicitly values individuals and individuality.
We won't shy away from saying that this work from home culture has made us "a little more human and a lot more connected" in such a short period. Working from home allowed our new hires to get to know each other more on a more personal level, from pets names and decorating styles, to partners who accidentally walk into virtual meetings. Businesses can create a welcoming environment, where employees feel connected and comfortable. Major Tom has proven that.
And that’s really it! A successful onboarding process means that very soon you’ll be able to blast off into space with the confidence, support and tools needed to succeed. Soon our new hires will be taking on new missions and helping the company expand into new solar systems. All because Major Tom made sure that the onboarding experience had a successful launch.
What I have is a malevolent curiosity - I do tend to take a different perspective.
