The first impression can only be made once

At Frends, we have developed our onboarding process, and the work continues. We want new frendszies to have a warm welcome and a smooth start with full support.

Our goals are:

Welcome & First Impressions

When a new frendszie starts with us, we have a welcoming package and all the tools ready on the first day. But the welcome goes beyond logistics—it's about feeling part of the team from day one.

"When my name was released, so many people contacted me from Frends saying welcome, let me know if there's anything. Everyone from top level down to sales executives. That immediately made me feel a part of the team. And that tells a lot about the culture." Sven, Head of Sales, Norway. 

Getting Started

We provide newbies with an onboarding booklet that includes a timetable for the first week of training, as well as all necessary information and links to facilitate an easy transition. Different handbooks, online courses, and channels, as well as a wide intranet, also help new employees get started.

The HR presentation is held on the first day, where we review the organization, its main practices, and tasks. Team Leads guide new frendszie on a more profound level to our tools and processes, and of course, introduce the new person to the rest of the team. Teams' coffee breaks and weekly meetings ensure that new team members get to know their colleagues in the early stages.

"I was lucky to start at the sales kickoff. After a long, inspiring day of sales enablement sessions, we ended the evening in the outdoor hot tub. I remember sitting there with snowflakes falling, a cold beverage in my hand, and my new colleagues deep in conversation about API management. As nerdy as that sounds, that's when it hit me—I was part of something exciting." Sven, Head of Sales, Norway.

Mentoring & Support

Whenever possible, we name a mentor for the newbie. Our culture strongly supports the idea that there are no stupid questions, which encourages our newbies to ask proactively whatever is on their minds.

"In addition to my own work, I also mentor two of our junior developers. It's been nice to share my knowledge and, at the same time, see how much I've learned. Mentoring has also been fun because new people bring fresh, new ideas that I might not have thought of myself." Juuso, Integration Developer.

"I think it was good that I received a lot of support and feedback from other frendszies. In addition, tools for quick learning were available. I have also been able to ask everyone for help with a very low threshold if there is something on my mind. Everyone has been very helpful and willing to support my learning, which has felt good." Juuso, Integration Developer.

Flat Organization & Accessibility 

Team Leads discuss regularly with the newbies to get and give feedback on how everything has gone. At Frends, you can reach anyone, regardless of their role or seniority—from day one.

"It's really easy to reach out to anybody in the company—even C-level. During my hiring process I already met the chairman of the board, the CEO, and the CRO. In my first months I also met the CFO, CMO, and COO, and I'm actively working with them to get business done. That's really nice and really cool." Hidde, Head of Benelux.

Onboarding Satisfaction

We also measure our onboarding satisfaction with a survey and team lead discussion about how the start has gone from various angles. This measurement helps us further develop our onboarding process. 

The figures of the survey show that our orientation is in good shape (scale 1-4):

Welcome all new friends - we try to make your life easier!