What we've learned from onboarding 300+ people in 18 months

Over the last 18 months, we’ve been very busy with hacking how to onboard our new starters in TransferWise in a way that is efficient, carries our culture, and has a ‘wow’ factor. The first months in the company create the foundation for a new starters’ success. And 300+ experiences later, we can say that we’ve learned quite a bit along the way, on how to get it right.

Why should we invest time in onboarding anyways?

When you think about onboarding, what are the first words and images that come to mind? In many companies, onboarding is still limited to spending hours filling in documents, or reading company rules. While all of that also serves a purpose, it shouldn't be the main goal.

The real value of onboarding comes from helping people build confidence in their role, so as a result, they can start delivering impact.

“Onboarding was a great opportunity to get into the TransferWise mindset, it helped me understand the mission and culture better. After onboarding I felt like I knew what it meant to be a Wiser and also felt more part of the team because we had common ground: the values and how we work. It was a great experience and the only regret is that it’s over” Sonia

The opposite — throwing someone into a new environment and expecting them to survive without tools or resources, is like letting people jump out of an airplane without any instructions, and praying that they’ll figure out how to open the parachute before hitting the ground. Worst case scenario, you end up losing the person you put so much effort into recruiting.

So what makes a great onboarding?

There have been a ton of studies and articles written about this, and while it’s great to learn from others, a copy-paste approach rarely works. We talk to our recent new starters, listen to their feedback, and also get input from team leads on their good practices.

This is what we've found out:

Onboarding is a success only when leads take ownership

“Because our company culture is the opposite of top-down, it can fall apart when people aren’t correctly prepared, and it’s the team lead’s responsibility to make sure that this happens. I’ve seen people become quite literally paralysed by the idea that no-one’s going to tell them what to do, and that their job is to figure out how to solve super hard problems.” Joe

Joe is one of our most experienced leads. And yes, we have also failed with this in the past, when leads didn’t understand the value of onboarding, and it was not made a priority. As Joe highlights, leads play an especially important role in onboarding in a culture where people have a lot of autonomy in their role — they should map out the basics of what needs to get done in the first months since joining, and adjust that flow on the go.

Help new starters build a network and get the “big picture” of the organization

We fly our new starters from different offices into one location, to go through a 3-day flow of sessions and activities as a group. We include discussions and games about our mission, our culture and values, our product and customers. They also spend time doing side-by-sides with some key teams. All in all, this gives people the helicopter view of the organisation.

However, these days are also for meeting people. They get to know other newbies in the group (in the 3 days, and during catch-up sessions that we run in the first 3 months). They also meet more than 25 old timers, and hear them share their stories.

Make sure the role and expectations are clear

“What exactly am I supposed to do here? Where do I start?”

Good questions. Helping our newbie figure this out starts from recruitment, and that we are clear about it first. No matter how great the onboarding, it won’t fix hiring someone with the wrong expectations. And if the role is not communicated clearly since the beginning, they'll feel completely confused.

Get the team involved

“My team was really organised and made sure that my calendar was jam-packed in the first 3 weeks. I had meet-and-greets with members of the wider team, to get to know them and understand what they do. They also paired me with an experienced Wiser with whom I spoke about anything related to TransferWise, but not directly related to my role. “ Sonia

Setting up meet and greets with other people in the team helps each person take a piece of that responsibility, and makes our new starter feel welcome by everyone. While team leads own onboarding, it doesn’t mean having to do it alone. Having a mentor who gives some of their time in those first month(s), is a good way to make sure all questions get answers, and they have someone to learn side by side with.

Help them make quick impact

We asked our people what helped them build confidence in their first months. One of the most recurring answers was ‘the first time I delivered something’ — a sense of adding value. It also helps to get feedback, and course correct early on. A simple approach is to have a small project or goal that they can get done within the first 2–3 weeks.

Like our product, our onboarding is always evolving and we still have a lot to learn. But what we already know, is the importance of building upon feedback, and that every lead takes ownership for helping their new starters succeed.

“The key is to hire people who are fundamentally intelligent, curious and passionate about the TransferWise mission. Then through their onboarding, help them understand why we make the decisions we do, why our teams are building what they’re building, and what are the underlying principles of the company. Once an intelligent, curious and passionate person is equipped with this knowledge, they can make awesome decisions with great confidence and deliver great things for TransferWise customers without a need for too many checks, sign-off process or corporate bullsh*t. It’s magic.” Joe