Welcome to Printify: New Employee Onboarding
Joining a new company can be scary. The prospect of remote work, pandemic-related concerns, the unknown — it’s all a lot to take in for a new employee. But fortunately, these are the problems that proper onboarding solves.
Over the past year alone, Printify has hired 240+ people from 20+ countries. As such, we’re getting familiar with welcoming new faces. But, all these new employees mean that our onboarding processes have had to undergo some serious work to keep up.
During our expansion, we’ve become increasingly invested in the processes, training, and opportunities that new hires experience. Over the course of integrating so many new people and growing so quickly, we’ve developed a user-friendly system that improves with each participant’s feedback.
Continuing with that thought, the purpose of this article is to set the newbie mind at ease. And remember, we have a dedicated staff happy to assist with any questions (even the tricky technical ones).
Let the Onboarding Begin
The onboarding process is the part where we train you to do the job you were hired for. To participate, you’ll need a computer, digital credentials, email, and possibly some other equipment.
You’ll receive an email with work instructions 1–4 weeks before the agreed-upon starting date — depending on contract and position specifics. There, you’ll find everything you need.
What is Onboarding Like?
First of all, yes. Everything is virtual. You won’t have to fly to Latvia (do it) for your training. Unfortunately, digital training is sometimes thought to be boring, tiresome, or even useless. That’s not the case here.
Here, your training will be undertaken alongside other new colleagues. This is a great icebreaker that empowers, motivates, and socializes greenhorns. Along the way, you’ll work together through topics like marketplaces, print on demand, and where Printify fits into it all.
While it’s possible these are entirely new topics, we have a panel of specialists and trainers ready to supercharge new recruits in interactive, collaborative ways.
Some onboarding sessions are conducted by specialists and trainers, others require group tasks, discussion topics, store building, and other methods of approaching relevant problems. It’s our goal that this multifaceted approach helps everyone get on the same page as effectively and enjoyably as possible.
Culture and Values
Here at Printify, we have four core values:
- Customer is our compass.
- We strive for excellence.
- We know learn it all.
- We play to win together.
Together, these four pillars constitute the moral and occupational foundation of Printify leadership, staff, and the company itself. They serve as a guide for actions to be taken and avoided, the type of atmosphere to be cultivated, and the best methods to secure a promotion.
We actively encourage discussion regarding these topics from newcomers. Their opinions on the environment and communication are key to our continual improvement. We will be conducting workshops where newbies are introduced to these values — analyzing their application in contemporary settings.
What’s the Point of Onboarding?
It’s to make sure that our employees understand Printify, the merchants that rely on our services, and how those people encounter, experience, and overcome problems. As such, you’ll actually build an online store full of digital inventory that you designed. Then integrating those products, advertising, targeting niches, etc., all result in a stellar perspective.
No matter one’s position in the company — understanding the core of our business is a critical starting point. However, making a few bucks selling POD products is also a fun opportunity.
Your Development is Our Priority — Please Ask Questions
This is the part where we tell people to not be afraid of asking questions. Starting a new position is often similar to drinking directly from a firehose. We get it; there’s a lot of information to deal with. However, learning is a good thing here.
To help people communicate faster, we use an inter-office social medium called Slack. It’s a user-friendly messenger that has many specific channels: HR, ask anything, acquisition marketing, media mentions, and so much more. We even have a special group for newcomers so they have a place to feel comfortable sharing.
Feedback = Improvement
At the end of general onboarding, new hires are asked to submit feedback forms. This information, both positive and negative, are super helpful in understanding how different training, personnel, and strategies work out. Your experience is important to the company; we want to do all in our power to make things as effective and enjoyable as possible.
Final Thoughts
Be present. Things will move quickly, but that’s ok. Just remember that we hired you because we believe in you.
“You will go through the onboarding process and be a newbie only once,” says HR Manager Henri Lempu.
So don’t try to rush to your specific job tasks just yet. Onboarding is there to help you settle in, introduce you to the culture we have, get you familiar with how we work, and in general make you feel comfortable making your first steps as a Printifyer.
Want to hear about some other Printifyers’ experiences? Take a look at this video.
