Starting a new job is a time filled with lots of nerves, excitement, and change. That first day you walk in the door, you don’t know exactly what to expect or what to do. However, as time goes on you become more comfortable, meet more people, and understand your role better in general. But what happens when a mandatory work from home order cuts your onboarding experience short?
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Taking a New Job in Quarantine Means Learning Step by Step
I started at Perficient at the beginning of March. In my first week I met with my team, got to know the office, and learned about the company. It was a pretty normal first week, followed by a second week that was anything but. My onboarding abruptly became remote due to the growth of COVID-19 in the area, and I had to dive right into continuing the learning process completely online. Naturally, I was confused and nervous about how this process would work. How I could be successful without having time in the office to learn and bond with my team?
My work from home “office”
Over the next few weeks, I threw myself into learning everything I could. I took advantage of every opportunity I had to get involved and get to know my team. I’m constantly blown away by how easy Perficient has made this process for me, despite the current situation.
Let Your Leadership Help You
My boss has been hands-on with my learning. She’s been available at all hours to help out with any questions that I have. We have daily calls that help me stay on top of tasks while learning various aspects of my role. These calls also play a significant role in helping me build relationships with my team and feeling connected to the company culture while remote. In this unique situation, Perficient has stepped up and made me feel more comfortable and welcome than I ever imagined possible.
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting people everywhere, I knew that I wasn’t the only one in this situation right now. I was interested to see how others were handling this experience, so I interviewed three other Perficient new-hires to find out.
The Perficient Office Culture is Alive and Well
Sydney Luter started as an Associate Marketing Coordinator just one day before our office transitioned to working from home. One of her biggest concerns about working remotely as a new hire was how it would affect her ability to build relationships with her coworkers. She also said she was excited to get involved in the office culture and wondered how that could happen with the current circumstances. Luckily, her team made her feel comfortable immediately, and she has already had several opportunities to get involved.
“The marketing team is very active in maintaining and building culture right now.”
Sydney Luter, Associate Marketing Coordinator
Still Celebrating the Good Times
“They are doing a virtual happy hour every Friday with the whole team to stay connected. It’s difficult to feel like a part of the team as a new hire when you can’t make in person connections. I’m thankful for opportunities like that where I can get involved,” Sydney explains.
Sydney’s work from home “office”
“My team has been amazing too. Our manager recently had her five-year work anniversary. We put together a little remote celebration for her. We built a virtual bulletin board with photos and messages from each of us that we presented to her as a surprise. When we can, we’ll celebrate in-person, but it was neat to still see the element of culture alive in my team right now. Things are different at the moment, but we have to keep as much normalcy as possible by still trying to celebrate those little milestones.”
Sydney maintains a forward-thinking perspective. “We are doing the best we can to stay connected, and I am looking forward to continuing to build those connections when this quarantine is over.”
Starting a New Job During COVID-19: Remote From Day One
Of all the new-hires I spoke with, Ryan Fagan had the most unique story about his first few days with Perficient. Ryan started when our office was all remote, as the new Alliance Operations Coordinator. His only visit to the office was to pick up his new laptop and other essential items. Ryan’s entire onboarding process has had to be online. This hasn’t stopped him one bit from throwing himself into his new job and learning as much as he can.
Don’t Wait to Dive In
“My first week was full of onboarding. Aside from that, I have been on at least two or three meetings every day that help make sure I am understanding exactly where my role is supposed to be going. Obviously, it would be easier if I were in the office and could walk over and get an answer to a question in a few seconds. However, the process has been very well streamlined overall, allowing me to get involved quickly. I have already talked to at least 40 people within Perficient and am already working on a mass email project for an entire team.”
Communication and collaboration have been key to Ryan’s success. “Since my role is completely new, it does get crazy sometimes. My team and I have been working together to determine the general direction I should go in and how I can effectively get involved.”
Ryan’s work from home “office”
As far as making it all work, my team’s leaders have been amazing. There is a lot of open communication between us and the rest of the team.
Ryan Fagan, Alliance Operations Coordinator
Ryan elaborates, “I have a lot of different resources and teammates that I can rely on to help with general questions and things I don’t know how to do yet.” And he’s right. Supporting each other is something each Perficient colleague can expect from the next.
Everyone I have talked to says they are perfectly open for questions and to reach out whenever needed. I have seen that I have a massive pool of people who are willing to help me. It has been about as smooth as I can imagine an online onboarding process being.
Ryan Fagan, Alliance Operations Coordinator
SEE MORE: Quick Tips on Successful Remote Working
Enabled by a Company Who Cares
The last new hire I interviewed was Lysa Young-Bates, Perficient’s newest Healthcare Marketing Manager. Lysa started the same day as Sydney and had only one full day of working in the office.
A Winning Remote Onboarding Experience
She is the only new hire I spoke with who has experience working remotely in a previous job. This gave her a unique perspective on the situation.
What has impressed me about Perficient is how quickly they were able to ramp us up and get us going. The fact that I was in the office just that one day and then I could go and work remote right away really speaks volumes.
Lysa Young-Bates, Healthcare Marketing Manager
“We can still continue to learn and build our productivity during this time because the company provides you with the tools to do it,” Lysa shares. “They really make it possible. You really feel like people care about your success in the organization and want to see you succeed.”
The commitment to acclimation within the company is amazing. You see it demonstrated in so many different ways and you truly feel welcome.
Lysa Young-Bates, Healthcare Marketing Manager
Feeling Valued and Connected During Remote Onboarding
Each team introduction is unique to that team, but the foundation of any Perficient welcome is to make someone feel valued. “They introduce you through an email to the entire team and you immediately start receiving welcomes from coworkers.” Lysa said. “It makes you feel like you’re part of something really special.”
Lysa’s work from home “office”
“I’ve been a remote worker and worked with people all over the world in the past,” Lysa reveals. “This style of work is comfortable for me and not out of my norm. However, I do appreciate the social aspect of being in the office.”
“Even in this time, I feel like I have more social connection with the group form Perficient. There is truly a team mentality and a desire to reach out and remain connected on a more personal level. It is different from where I have worked before.”
Lysa Young-Bates, Healthcare Marketing Manager
Success is Possible
We all agreed that while things are weird now, our respective teams have made this transition as easy and successful as possible. We’re looking forward to the day that we can get back into the office and work face to face with our colleagues. None of us expected to be in this situation, and I think Sydney described it best:
It’s hard and it’s weird and there will be kinks in the road, but it’s possible to succeed and I know we can make it work.
Sydney Luter
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At Perficient, we continually look for ways to champion and challenge our talented workforce with interesting projects for high-profile clients, encourage personal and professional growth through training and mentoring, and celebrate our people-oriented culture and the innovative ways they serve Perficient and the community.
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