What is a buddy system at work?

The buddy system at work is a structured onboarding and employee support program in which a new employee is paired with an experienced colleague (the buddy) to help them acclimate to the company culture, understand their role, and navigate their new work environment effectively.

What is the purpose of a buddy system in the workplace?

The primary purpose of a buddy system in the workplace is to facilitate a smooth onboarding process for new employees. It aims to:

• Offer new hires a designated go-to person who can quickly offer answers to their questions
• Enhance their comfort and connection to the team levels
• Provide immediate support
• Ensure they integrate well into the company’s culture

This system helps reduce the learning curve, increases job satisfaction, and can lead to higher retention rates.

What are the key components of an effective buddy system?

An effective buddy system includes clear objectives, defined roles, and structured timelines. The key components are:

• Selection of buddies: Choosing experienced, approachable, and knowledgeable employees who embody the company’s values
• Training for buddies: Providing buddies with training on how to support and mentor new hires effectively
• Clear expectations: Outlining the responsibilities of both the buddy and the new hire to foster mutual understanding
• Regular check-ins: Scheduling frequent meetings to discuss progress, address concerns, and provide feedback
• Feedback mechanism: Implementing a system for both the buddy and the new hire to give feedback on the process to continuously improve the program

What qualities make a good buddy?

A good buddy should possess several key qualities:

• Approachability: Being friendly and easy to talk to
• Experience: Having a solid understanding of the company and the role
• Patience: Willing to invest time and effort in helping the new hire
• Communication skills: Ability to convey information clearly and listen actively
• Empathy: Understanding the challenges faced by new employees and offering support
• Commitment: Dedicated to the success of the new hire and the buddy system program

What is the difference between a buddy and a mentor?

Buddies are usually peers who help new hires for a short and definite period, usually lasting a few weeks to a few months. They focus on helping new employees acclimate to the company’s culture, social environment, and day-to-day processes rather than role expectations and performance. They are also vital in helping new hires build relationships with other team members and navigate the company’s informal networks.

Mentors are more experienced employees, often from a different department or higher organizational level. They focus on supporting employees’ overall career development and growth, including setting and achieving short- and long-term career goals. As a result, they engage in a longer-term relationship, often lasting several months to years. They offer guidance on professional skills, leadership development, and navigating career challenges.

Key differences:

• Buddies provide immediate, practical support, while mentors offer strategic, long-term guidance
• Buddies are often assigned to all new hires, whereas mentorship programs might be voluntary or selective, based on career development needs
• Both roles are crucial for employee development but serve different purposes in the onboarding and career progression process

How does a buddy system improve employee onboarding?

A buddy system enhances employee onboarding by providing personalized support and guidance. The experienced buddy offers insights into daily operations, company policies, and unwritten rules, accelerating the new hire’s learning process.

This tailored approach helps new employees feel more confident and competent in their roles, leading to quicker productivity and stronger engagement.

The buddy system also fosters immediate social connections, which can alleviate the stress and isolation often associated with starting a new job.

Complimentary resources:

• 6 Employee Onboarding Best Practices: Your Essentials Guide
• Elevate Employee Onboarding & Offboarding Efficiency with Deel
• Master HR Onboarding from Day One: Free Course for Beginners

How can a buddy system improve a remote onboarding process?

A buddy system can significantly enhance a remote onboarding process by providing new hires with personalized support, fostering connections, and facilitating smoother integration into the company culture.

Here are several ways a buddy system can improve remote onboarding:

• Guidance and assistance: Buddies can offer real-time support and answer questions about the company’s tools, systems, and processes—this immediate assistance helps new hires feel more comfortable and reduces the time it takes to become productive
• Company culture: Buddies can introduce new hires to the company’s values, traditions, and unwritten rules—they can share insights about the company culture that might not be covered in formal training sessions
• Social connections: Buddies help new hires build relationships with colleagues by facilitating introductions and including them in team activities and virtual social events
• Reducing isolation: Remote work can be isolating, especially for new hires—having a buddy provides a friendly face and a point of contact, making new employees feel less isolated
• Regular check-ins: Buddies can schedule regular check-ins with new hires to discuss progress, answer questions, and provide guidance—these check-ins help ensure that new hires stay connected and engaged
• Effective communication channels: Buddies can guide new hires on the best communication channels to use within the company, helping them navigate remote communication effectively
• Active participation: Buddies can encourage new hires to actively participate in team meetings, virtual events, and other company activities, helping them feel more engaged and included

How can a buddy system be integrated into an existing onboarding program?

Integrate a buddy system into an existing onboarding program by:

• Preboarding communication: Introducing the buddy to the new hire before their start date via email or a welcome call
• Orientation: Including the buddy in the orientation process to provide a personal touch and immediate support
• Structured meetings: Scheduling regular check-ins between the buddy and the new hire during the initial weeks
• Resource sharing: Providing buddies with a checklist of key information and resources to share with the new hire
• Feedback loops: Establishing a mechanism for continuous feedback to refine and improve the buddy system

How can you measure the effectiveness of a buddy system?

You can measure the effectiveness of a buddy system through various metrics, such as:

• New hire feedback: Surveys and interviews with new hires to gather their experiences and satisfaction levels
• Buddy feedback: Collecting input from buddies to understand the challenges and successes of the program
• Retention rates: Comparing retention rates of employees who participated in the buddy system versus those who did not
• Time to productivity: Assessing how quickly new hires become productive compared to previous onboarding methods
• New hire engagement levels: Monitoring engagement scores and participation in company activities

How can companies select the right employees to be buddies?

Companies can select the right employees to be buddies by considering the following factors:

• Volunteers: Encouraging employees to volunteer for the role, ensuring they are genuinely interested in mentoring
• Performance: Choosing high-performing employees who are knowledgeable and respected within the company
• Personality: Selecting individuals who are approachable, patient, and good communicators
• Diversity: Ensuring a diverse pool of buddies to match the varied backgrounds of new hires
• Feedback: Gathering input from managers and team members about potential buddies’ suitability

Create a successful buddy system in your workplace with Deel Engage

Running a buddy system can be a lot of work if you plan to do it well. Your project’s success will also depend on whether you:

• Give all parties involved guidance to get the most out of the program
• Engage and remember people at the right time instead of overwhelming them with a huge guide
• Collect feedback to improve the workflow continuously

With Deel Engage, you can make onboarding buddy programs a central part of your onboarding process:

• Send surveys to identify volunteer buddies, or make managers nominate the buddy as you prepare for onboarding the new hire
• Customize onboarding journeys with steps for buddies
• Create custom training journeys to prepare buddies for this role
• Send instructions and preparation tips for buddies in advance
• Add conversation starters for each step of the onboarding
• Automatically send reminders via Slack or Teams
• Collect feedback at every milestone from both buddies and new hires
• Onboard new hires in Slack without an external login
• Deel HR, our truly global HRIS solution, is always included for free

Learn more about creating an engaging and effective onboarding process with Deel Engage.