Remote onboarding process at Osom Studio

Remember starting a new job remotely? When you got a job offer? The thrill intertwines with uncertainty about what to anticipate. Will the job meet my expectations? Will the team be friendly and helpful? Will I fit in? It’s understandable to have doubts, and we’ve all had them too. Therefore, we truly understand that proper onboarding is crucial to ensure that you are comfortable with our tools and the company culture.

At Osom Studio, we view onboarding as a journey toward becoming fully self-reliant in using tools, best practices and completing tasks. Our goal is to ensure a smooth and seamless transition into our organization making sure you are set up for the success. The whole course is divided into a few phases. Everything goes remote, without the need to come in-person to our headquarters, and in the spirit of asynchronous communication.

Before you start 

 The onboarding begins right away after you accept the offer. Our HR will reach out to you with all the information you need to know. Firstly, we arrange details about the formal aspects – the contract, and all equipment that you need. Once you receive the shipment with documents and laptop, there is nothing left to do but look forward to the start day. 

 A few days prior to the date, you’ll get an email with an agenda for your first day. It is much easier to start when you know what to expect, isn’t it?  You will also be introduced via email to your onboarding buddy who will be your go-to person, especially at the beginning of our collaboration. You can virtually shake hands with them and ask questions. 

Day One in Osom

When working remotely, the number of tools and resources necessary for work might be overwhelming. You are probably wondering where to start!? Don’t worry, we made a special project on Basecamp (a tool that we use for task management at Osom), where you gain access to the dedicated onboarding project. This project will be your main ally and place to work over the next week. All tasks from the first day help you to do the needed setup. Of course, if you have any problems or doubts, boldly hit the buddy or the person indicated in the task description, they are there to help you especially in a remote environment.

 Obviously, you also have a chance to meet Osom people and really experience company culture. In the morning you will have an online meeting with your buddy and manager, who are there to guide and help new hires, in this case – you. During this, you can get to know each other better, and just simply say hi – this time face-to-face. You will meet the other members of the team tomorrow, but today you can high-five them virtually on Slack channel. 

All new hires during their first day have also a meeting with the co-founders of Osom Studio.  In our organizational culture, everyone is free to talk with management, and we want you to feel that from day one.  We’re all about open communication here, so don’t worry about feeling shy. This is a casual meeting where you can ask anything and learn more about our history, mission, and vision to make sure your new team is the right one.

First week of onboarding process

Great job on mastering our tools by the end of your first day! For the rest of the week, you will be still working mainly on your onboarding program.  It’s still not enough to say that you are familiar with our workflow. Remote work also entails comprehending the communication flow, including when, how, and with whom to communicate about a specific topic. That’s why we’ve set aside the entire first week to assist you in understanding our communication flow and the idea of asynchronous work. There you will find a checklist with links to our internal instructions, video tutorials, and guidelines. We’ll cover everything from where and when to write project updates to the meaning behind our Slack statuses. Yes, there will be a lot of materials to read. We realize that at first glance this sounds like a rather rigid approach, and indeed it is a bit so.

Nevertheless, a precisely defined circulation of information seriously impacts on the efficient organization of work. Working in a distributed team can be compared to trying to juggle multiple balls simultaneously with a partner you can’t see. If we all threw the balls in different directions and without any coordination, it would be messy and pure chaos for sure. We need to communicate effectively to avoid dropping any balls and ensure a successful outcome. Our goal is to make sure that you feel confident navigating through the daily communication maze at Osom. 

In addition to reading assignments, you will also find a few tasks, which are secure project case simulations and hands-on exercises. These will help you gain a better understanding of our operational procedures. We also start a process of teaching you about projects. You will join a weekly stand-up of your team, and have a meeting with our Delivery Manager where she will tell you more about our clients. At the end of the week, you will catch up with your buddy, to sum up your impressions and how you feel with us. 

Remote onboarding – Months 1-3

 In the upcoming weeks, you will gain more knowledge about our clients and projects. Each day, you will complete more and more independent tasks while being supported by your team leader. During this period, our main goal is to assess your skill level. This will help us match you with suitable projects in the future. We want to assign you tasks that will help you progress without causing you stress and a headache. 

 Another important aspect is to evaluate how well your daily work aligns with our company values. They are like the glue that holds our team together. They guide us on how we work and treat each other and our clients. By checking to see if you vibe with our values, we can make sure you’re a good fit for our team and that you’ll be able to contribute in a meaningful way. Focusing on values during onboarding can also help you feel like you’re part of something bigger. When we all work together towards the same goals, we can achieve amazing things.

 During this time, you can expect to receive a lot of feedback and have regular weekly meetings with a manager to discuss your performance. Depending on your experience level, the manager will act as a mentor or supervisor, guiding you through your tasks, or just reviewing your assignments. Our aim is to assist you in constantly evaluating the effectiveness and precision of your work so that you can pinpoint areas that need enhancement. Of course, this works both ways – we also collect your feelings about working with us. It often happened that the fresh eye of a new person contributed to the improvement of Osom processes, so everyone gained. 

 At the conclusion of this period, you will have your initial one-on-one meeting. This session will involve an evaluation of your performance and a discussion of your knowledge of our procedures and operations. 

Employee experience – Months 4-6

 By the end of the last three months, you should be capable of working autonomously and possessing a thorough understanding of our company’s workflow. You are familiar with all projects in your team, and you know the scope of each project. You are ready to swim out into deeper waters on your own. 🙂 During this time, you’ll work with the team and clients to complete project tasks and enhance your skills and knowledge of Osom, which you gained earlier.

 Over the next few months, you’ll catch up with your manager less frequently, only when necessary. We anticipate that you are well-versed in all processes and understand our expectations of your role at the company. 

 If we’re both satisfied with how our professional partnership is progressing, let’s keep this success train on track and commit to an open-ended collaboration. We sign another contract and after this period we start preparation for starting your individual career path program. 

Tips for new hires

As you embark on this exciting journey of working remotely, we want to ensure you a successful and effective onboarding experience. Remote onboarding challenges for sure are unique for every company, but with the right mindset and preparation, you can overcome them with ease. Here are some tips for new hires to have a smooth transition and make the most of their new company and job. 

• First it’s crucial to establish a dedicated and comfortable workspace. Create a designated area in your home where you can focus and be productive. Set up your desk, organize your supplies, and ensure you have all the necessary tools and technology to carry out your tasks efficiently. At Osom, we provide you with the necessary equipment and software. 
• Don’t forget to establish a routine that works for you. Working remotely offers flexibility, but maintaining a structured schedule will definitely help you to stay productive and motivated. At Osom we use core hours – every team member can set it on their own. . Set clear goals and deadlines for yourself, and regularly evaluate your progress to ensure you’re on track.
• Next, make an effort to connect with your team and colleagues even though you’re not physically in the same office. Utilize communication tools we use and stay connected and build relationships. Actively participating in team meetings and discussions will help you feel more integrated into the company culture and foster collaboration.
• One of the onboarding best practices is to take advantage of the resources and support available to you in your Basecamp project. In remote work, it is important to proactively search for information and to be able to use available sources of knowledge. Remote work may sometimes feel isolating, but remember that you’re part of a team and there are people who are here to help you succeed. 
• Lastly, reach out to your manager or colleagues whenever you need assistance or guidance! They are there to help you. Nobody expects you to know or understand everything. Onboarding is the process that last even a few months. Learning things and new routines take time and we know that.

Summary

At Osom, we have a thorough and thoughtful onboarding process for new employees.  It is challenging because we want you to start working independently as soon as possible. A lack of work and a clear idea of what you should be doing can be extremely frustrating, especially when you work remotely. That’s why we’ve organized specific tasks from day one to help guide you. Onboarding at Osom will probably require a lot of effort from you. On our side, we try to give you the chance to know us and understand our processes in the most possible safe and straightway, even though everything is done virtually. Gradually introducing you to our work is giving you ample opportunities to learn our way of doing things. We give you a space to understand and embrace our company values and get a feel for our organizational culture. Ongoing communication and health checks also allow us to gather your feedback and ideas for improvement which can help us better organize work at Osom. We are open to your thoughts and always welcome initiatives that can improve our daily operations. 

If you like our process we encourage you to apply! Come and see on your own how the Osom onboarding process works.