Onboarding Remotes at Hudl

tl:dr; — Want to join a team currently kicking ass in the Sports Tech world? Hudl is actively looking for new members to join the product team. We have offices in Lincoln, Omaha, Boston and London, but we are also hiring remotely! For available positions visit http://grnh.se/hfr13e.

Joining as a remote employee in a company far far away is a daunting thing. Whilst modern technology breaks most of the barriers that come with having an employee in another state/country, it still relies on equal input from both parties to make it work.

I’ve recently experienced that daunting feeling, joining the Product team at Hudl and I feel pretty fortunate to have had a successful transition into my new role — something I feel is down to the hard work of my new colleagues and the company’s onboarding techniques.

The Hiring Process

I’d class the application / hiring process as part of the onboarding, mainly because it is the first chance to speak to potential future colleagues. It’s an insight to how the culture is at that company and first impressions are really important for both parties here.

I was fortunate to be greeted by polite, enthusiastic folk which helped make me feel comfortable and allowed me to be myself throughout the application process, whilst confirming this was a company I wanted to work for.

At the point of agreeing to join the team, several Hudlies reached out to not only welcome me but to also help deal with any questions I had and to help arrange my orientation trip out to Hudl HQ. Overall, this was a great first impression for me.

Orientation

Getting to travel to the company HQ is an invaluable experience for any new remote employee. A chance to soak in the company culture and meet everyone in person, something you don’t have the luxury of doing on a daily base when working remotely.

Hudl runs a two-week orientation trip for all new Hudlies, a right of passage if you may. Week one contains a long list of Hudl “classes” spread over many different subjects and areas of the company. Week two is more role focused, on the job training.

At the beginning of the week, the orientation class is assigned a group mentor — someone you can reach out to with any questions, advice, etc. The group is also partnered up with a different department each day to have lunch with, allowing you the chance to meet even more of your colleagues.

Each individual is also given their own 1-on-1 mentor who they would connect with on a daily basis, mainly to see how things are going and to answer any remaining questions. Myself and Thom (also remote) were partnered with other remotes, which was a really nice touch, mainly because it gave us the opportunity to ask advice from other team members who are in the same situation as us.

At the end of week one, your head is severely hurting due to the information overload, but it’s a great way to learn about the company and a great chance to meet a load of your colleagues (who run the classes). The week ends on a high with graduation, a chance for all new Hudlies to make a fool of themselves in front of the full company followed by a beer or two (of your choice).

The amount of work that goes into your first week is quite crazy, but it really helps bed you in as a member of the team fast. Hudl prides itself on having a family culture, so much so that its one of their five company values, and you can really feel this after just a few days.

Returning Home

Orientation flew by and before I knew it I was back home beginning remote life. Hudl kindly provided me funds to be able to create an awesome working setup that I would feel comfortable in along with any other bits I needed. I’ll be sure to write up a post on my remote setup.

I think the key thing with any remote employee is to make sure they are included as much as possible. Because you are not beside your co-workers in the office, I imagine it’s very easy feel alienated as a remote employee. This was something I was a little worried about when I first started.

Hudl utilises technology really well to ensure all members can interact super easily. I can chat with anyone using Slack, I can seamlessly join and book meeting rooms remotely in any of our offices and I can tune into the weekly company meeting via a live stream. Whilst I know these things aren’t ground-breaking, they are still really important to have to make life easy for us remotes.

The first few weeks of remote work can be a little strange and it’s easy to feel a little lost, especially if you’ve come from an office environment like I did. Instead of leaving me to just get on with things on my own, I was invited to join several post orientation classes (around ten in total). All done remotely, these sessions would extend into other areas not covered throughout orientation.

My manager also sent me a list of tasks to complete within my first month. Nothing too strenuous here but a great way to get me to reach out to other Hudlies and gain that vital interaction.

The Aftermath

I am now 98 days into my Hudl journey and remote life is great. I often get asked by my family and friends if I feel lonely sat at home by myself. The truth is that I haven’t once felt that way. I’m fortunate that I have other UK remotes online at the same time as well as the London office. I’m also fortunate that the Hudl made such an effort to integrate me because it has meant that I have established many contacts in the company to reach out to should there ever be a problem.

In terms of how often I speak to people, it varies but I never go a day without speaking to at least the members of my squad. My American co-workers don’t start appearing online around until around 1–2pm which gives me a nice clean morning to get the coffee drunk, my music on and my head down. I’ve never felt so productive!

If you’ve recently gone ‘remote’ or started a new job, I’d love to hear how your onboarding was and what techniques the company took to get you settled in.

If this all sounds like something you want to be a part of, well you are in luck because Hudl is hiring! See our available positions, or alternatively reach out to me @stugreenham.