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65% of new hires know if a job will be a good fit for them within the first 30 days of joining. That’s the importance of having a good onboarding process – it helps you engage new hires, make a good first impression, and improve your retention rate.
While there is no magic recipe to improving your onboarding program, a work buddy system is as close as it gets. Work buddies can supercharge your onboarding program and create a positive work culture.
So, what is a buddy system at work and how can you integrate it into your onboarding? Let’s dive in.
What are work buddies?
Work buddies or buddy mentors are colleagues who support and collaborate with each other. Working buddies create a safe space beyond a new hire’s immediate team where they can share experiences, ask questions, and seek advice. These relationships help ease some of the challenges new hires face early on and build lasting social connections.
Therefore, whether it's advice on how to navigate company culture, brainstorming, or a vent session after a tough day, the work buddy system can help employees feel they belong.
A quick look at the benefits of buddy system at work shows:
- They increase job satisfaction and boost enjoyment of an employee’s role.
- Almost 70% of employees would feel happier if they had deeper connections with their coworkers.
- Open communication and trust encourage teamwork and knowledge sharing.
- Work buddies help new employees adjust to the organizational culture faster.
Why do you need a buddy system at work?
With a solid onboarding program, employees are 70% more productive and 82% more likely to remain with you in the long run. A buddy system enhances your onboarding program and takes it to the next level. It gives new hires someone they can go to and ask questions that they would otherwise be hesitant to ask their managers. It also helps them navigate challenging projects and assimilate into the company culture.
The impact of social learning and employee connection
Friends at work are important. A study from Gallup found that employees with friends at work are seven times more engaged than those without. It’s through these relationships—especially in the onboarding process—social learning happens. Informal connections take the pressure off and give employees space to solve problems together, brainstorming new ideas, and holding each other accountable when developing new skills. Creating a workplace buddy system for new hires kickstarts those relationships and sets them up for a strong social foundation at your company.
How to identify potential work buddies
Knowing how to identify potential work buddies for new employees will help you set your new hires up for success. That's because the right work buddy will provide them with guidance and serve as a support system in their early days at the organization. Some of the key characteristics of a good buddy mentor include:
- Good communication and listening skills
- Friendly and approachable
- Patient and supportive
- Knowledgeable about the company and the project
- Willing to take the time to help out
You want someone who is reliable in terms of time and availability, and is capable of building a positive relationship with the new employee. Here are some tips for identifying potential matches:
- Look for colleagues with similar hobbies, passions, or backgrounds who can connect on a personal level.
- Pairing individuals with different strengths and experiences can create a well-rounded support system.
- Encourage trust and understanding by selecting individuals who value respectful communication and open dialogue.
Good matches are one of the reasons why Google runs so many successful mentoring programs. You can do the same through tools like Colleague Connect. Such tools facilitate powerful data-driven connections by smart matching individuals based on shared interests, skills, and career aspirations.
What is not a buddy's responsibility?
While buddies are a key component of your onboarding process, they aren't in charge of carrying out all of the onboarding tasks. For instance, those in an onboarding buddy program at work are not tasked with:
- Going through policies and expectations with the new employee
- Teaching the new employee their specific job duties
- Monitoring the new employee's progress
- Setting up training or development opportunities for the new employee
Buddies should, however, be able to provide information and support on these topics.
The role of work buddies in organizational and individual success
Work environments today can be isolating – even physically, in the case of remote workers. They can make it harder for employees to forge genuine connections with colleagues. Work buddies create a ripple effect that can create a profoundly positive impact on the employee experience. They help in:
Building trust and rapport
Two in 3 employees hesitate to voice workplace concerns, which can hinder genuine connections. On the flip side, work buddies create a space that allows rapport and trust to grow organically. However, cultivating a relationship like that requires smart communication strategies. Ones that make both parties feel comfortable expressing themselves honestly.
Since vulnerability can prevent people from sharing, managers and buddy mentors can encourage trust building by:
- Creating safe spaces for open dialogue
- Organizing icebreaker activities
- Promoting a culture of empathy and respect actively
Tools that connect employees, like Together’s Colleague Connect, create opportunities to build work buddy relationships. Since it uses smart mentor matching algorithms to pair individuals based on shared interests, skills, and career aspirations, it can help create mutually beneficial relationships and team collaboration.
Additionally, integrating tools like Colleague Connect into the organizational culture sends a clear message about your commitment to employee well-being and connection.
Promoting collaboration and teamwork
Collaboration is critical to team performance. Strong work buddy relationships are potent catalysts for collaboration and teamwork.
Building work buddy relationships and creating opportunities for employees across your organization to meet and connect fuels mutual understanding and trust. That’s when:
- Knowledge sharing becomes effortless and natural
- Joint learning experiences enrich collaboration
- Team projects benefit from diverse perspectives, new ideas, and problem-solving approaches
Using tools that connect employees empowers cross functional team collaboration by allowing colleagues to book informal sessions with anyone at the organization, regardless of the department or level. When colleagues get to know each other, it breaks down silos, and collaboration and teamwork become a natural by-product, no matter where they are.
Supporting professional development
Constant growth is necessary for upward mobility in organizations and is one of the most impactful retention factors. It’s also a powerful tool that can accelerate individual professional development in a dynamic work environment. In fact, 94% of employees say they'd be more committed to their jobs if their organization invested in their development.
A work buddy program engages employees by showing that the company cares about their development, is willing to invest in their success, and wants to help them better integrate into team culture. The power of a work buddy system is like having a built-in mentor and cheerleader within the organization.
A buddy system at work actively supports professional growth through:
- Peer mentoring where work buddies learn from each other's experiences, sharing knowledge, best practices, and insights valuable for skill development. Besides, with Colleague Connect, pairs don’t have to be ‘peers’ at the same level. The platform matches colleagues based on interests and skills and not on seniority or levels, allowing learning without labeling individuals as "mentors" and "mentees." This way, there’s a more egalitarian approach to knowledge sharing and relationship building.
- Constructive feedback, encouragement, and guidance from trusted colleagues for accelerated learning and improved performance.
- Sharing goals and challenges for motivation, boosting confidence, and accountability.
- Connecting with someone from a different role or department for a broader understanding of the organization and potential career paths.
Team networking and opening doors to new opportunities and collaborations.
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Celebrating successes and milestones
Celebrating achievements causes a positive ripple effect in organizations. Peer-to-peer validation is highly effective. Work buddies witness their individual peer’s journey firsthand, understand the effort, challenges, and personal wins that culminated in success. Therefore, their celebration feels genuine and rooted in shared context.
Shared successes become amplified when celebrated together with work buddies. Additionally, celebrating together acknowledges the collaborative nature of victories, and recognizes and appreciates the roles each team member played in the final outcome.
Witnessing and celebrating a work buddy's success fuels individual drives and reinforces the value of collaborative effort. It creates a positive feedback loop, motivating both individuals to strive for more.
Colleague Connect empowers you to:
- Recognize individual contributions of work buddies who go the extra mile for their peers, showcasing the value of these connections.
- Celebrate team wins via dedicated channels to share milestones and achievements, reinforcing the sense of accomplishment and collaborative spirit.
- Personalize celebrations by selecting items linked to shared interests discovered on Colleague Connect.
In short, Colleague Connect serves as a catalyst for building and nurturing work buddy relationships within organizations, empowering employees to connect, collaborate, and support each other in achieving their professional goals.
Introducing a buddy system at work: 4 easy steps to get started
Ready to introduce a buddy system at your workplace? Here's a quick guide on how to get started:
1. Create a group of buddies (qualified employees) for new hires
It can be tempting to choose the people who are most social and bubbly, but remember that work buddies need to have other qualities, such as good communication and listening skills. Look for people with the following characteristics:
- Approachable, enthusiastic, and positive
- Knowledgeable of the company's general day-to-day
- Special knowledge of the new employee's role
- Willing to take the time to help
Not everyone is suited to be a buddy, and that's okay – just make sure that the group you select is willing and able to support the new employee. Don’t send your buddies in unprepared, either. Consider setting up buddy training so they understand what’s expected of them and tips to be a great working buddy.
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2. Pair each buddy with one or two new employees (but make sure they’re a good match)
At times, you may find there are more employees than buddies. That's okay; simply pair up employees so that each work buddy has one or two new hires to support. Just be sure to match buddies and new employees with personalities that will complement each other.
Using a tool like Together’s Colleague Connect platform can help make the pairing process easier. It matches colleagues based on shared skills, goals, or traits like location, department, and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), so the administrative work is all taken care of.
Plus, by using data-driven insights, the platform makes sure new hires are paired with work buddies who can truly resonate with them, setting them up for meaningful and productive relationships.
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3. Give buddies a checklist of activities to complete with their partner
Depending on how closely the workplace buddy system is managed, buddies might be given a specific checklist of activities to complete with their new hire partner. This could include anything from introducing them around the office, sharing best practices, and answering any questions they may have.
Here are a few ideas to get your buddies started:
- Introduce the new employee to their team members and explain their role
- Share the company's culture, values, and goals
- Show them where everything is in the office, from the coffee machine to the restrooms
- Help them set up their email and computer
- Provide an overview of the company's benefits and how to use them
- Answer any questions they may have about their new job
Make sure your buddies aren't too regimented, though – after all, the whole point of having a work buddy system is to foster a sense of community and support. Let them use their own judgment on what works best for them and their new hire partner.
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4. Survey buddies and new employees and use the feedback to improve
You won't know how effective your buddy system is until you survey both the work buddies and the new employees. Feedback is crucial for the success of any program, and it's especially important to get feedback from the people who are directly involved.
Use the feedback you receive to improve the buddy system and make it even more beneficial for everyone involved. Maybe there are certain activities buddies should be doing with their new hire partners, or maybe you need to add more buddies to the group.
No matter what, always be open to feedback and willing to make changes so that everyone can benefit from a buddy program at work.
4 Strategies for addressing work buddy challenges
While workplace friendships offer immense benefits, there can be challenges too.
Here are some common concerns and how Colleague Connect helps address them:
- Use smart matching that uses a smart mentor match engine, increasing the likelihood of compatible matches.
- Ongoing engagement features like discussion forums, shared goals, and project spaces keep communication and relationship-building going.
- Role-based permissions make sure sensitive information is handled appropriately. Conflicts of interest are mitigated through customizable settings.
- Try various communication strategies, such as icebreakers, shared interest boards, and social events. This encourages open communication and understanding, helping manage personality differences.
Tips for measuring the impact of work buddy relationships
Evaluating the impact of work buddy programs goes beyond subjective impressions. Here are some key metrics and methods to track the effectiveness of your program:
- New hire retention rates: Compare retention rates of new hires involved in your buddy system versus those who aren’t.
- Employee engagement levels: Gather feedback after new hires interact with their buddy. Are they actively participating in team discussion and activities?
- Feedback ratings: Collect anonymous feedback from both sides of the work buddy relationship. How effective do they find this support system?
- Onboarding completion: Track how quickly new hires with buddies move through the onboarding process and integrate into the company. Is there a noticeable difference in completion times?
- Mentoring program participation: Look at the number of new hires who continue with a mentoring program beyond the initial work buddy system. They’re more likely to engage with other forms of programs if they found the work buddy program valuable.
Investing in work buddy relationships empowers employee professional development, boosts employee engagement, and drives benefits for your entire organization. Take the lead in advocating and facilitating better employee connections. Make it easy with platforms like Colleague Connect to streamline matching, engagement, and communication.
Get started with Colleague Connect to build stronger employee relationships. Schedule a demo to learn more.
