Every new colleague gets a buddy.
One friendly colleague to ask the questions that feel too small to ask anyone else. You choose the pairs, the way you already do. We look after the 90 days that follow.
Off until you ask for it, so nobody is ever paired by surprise.
Before day one
You pair them. The buddy says yes and writes a short hello.
Week one
A first coffee. If it hasn't happened by day seven, the buddy gets one gentle nudge. The new colleague never does.
Weeks two to four
Three introductions from the buddy, and a couple of “ask anything” prompts for the new colleague.
Day 85
A wrap-up for both. A thank-you note, and the option to keep going for another month if both want it.
About six months on
The new colleague is invited to be a buddy for someone else.
Most new hire buddy programs stop at the introduction
Pairing people is the easy part, and you already do it well. What slips is everything after: the first coffee nobody booked, the buddy who got busy, the pair nobody checked on, the program that quietly ended with nobody saying thank you. That's the part we take off your plate.
How the onboarding buddy program works
About a minute per new colleague.People offer
Colleagues turn on “Be a buddy” in their profile and say how many people they'll take at once. You set how long someone must have been here, and the most anyone can take.
You pick the pair
Add a new colleague and their start date. We suggest three buddies, each with a plain reason. You decide, so you can keep it outside their reporting line.
The buddy says yes first
The buddy is asked before anything is shown to the new colleague. If they can't right now, only you are told, and you pick someone else.
The 90 days run themselves
A first coffee in week one, three introductions in the first month, and a gentle nudge to the buddy if things stall. A wrap-up and a thank-you at the end.
Small enough that busy people say yes
The new colleague
- A short hello from their buddy the first time they sign in
- Someone to ask the questions that feel too small to ask anyone else
- Three introductions to people worth knowing in the first month
- A quiet way to ask for someone else, no reason needed
The buddy
- Asked before every pairing, and free to say not right now
- A small job: welcome, answer questions, make three introductions
- A thank-you note at the end, theirs to share or keep
- A clear end date, so saying yes is never a forever commitment
You, the program lead
- One board showing where every pair is
- A heads-up when a pair hasn't met by day twelve
- Requests from anyone who'd like a buddy, in one queue
- No spreadsheet to keep up to date
What you see. What you don't.
The program lead sees
- Who is paired with whom, because you chose the pair
- Where each pair is: waiting for a yes, met for a first coffee, needs a hand, wrapped up
- How settled people feel, as a distribution, and only once at least five people have answered
The program lead doesn't see
- What a buddy and their new colleague talk about
- How often they meet or message
- Any one person's answer to the settling-in question
- Why someone stepped out of a pairing
For anything serious, people are pointed to the contact you name. The app never collects incident details.
Anyone new to something
Moved team, new office, back from leave, or simply doesn't know many people yet: anyone can ask for a buddy from their profile. Only you see the request, and the copy never treats them as a beginner.
How to run a buddy program that works
Five things the good ones have in common, whether you use us or a spreadsheet. The full, step-by-step version is how to start a new hire buddy program. For the buddies themselves, there's a five-minute guide to being a great buddy.
- 1
Keep the role small
Busy people say yes to a small, clear ask. Three jobs are enough: welcome them in week one, be the person they can ask anything, and introduce them to three people worth knowing.
- 2
Pick buddies outside the reporting line
A buddy should never be someone who evaluates the new colleague, or the easy questions stop. Different team, same office or time zone, and a few months in the job is the classic fit.
- 3
Pair before day one
A short hello from a friendly face before they start turns the most nervous week into a welcome. Pairing a week or two ahead gives the buddy time to say yes properly.
- 4
Give it an ending
Around 90 days is long enough to settle in and short enough to say yes to. A clear end, with a thank-you, is what makes people volunteer again.
- 5
Watch participation, not conversations
You need to know which pairs have met and which need a hand. You don't need to know what they talked about, and people talk more freely when they know you can't see it.
Good to know
The honest answers, including what it doesn't do yet.
- What is an onboarding buddy program?
- A way to pair each new hire with a friendly colleague for their first few months, usually about 90 days. The buddy welcomes them, answers the everyday questions, and introduces them to people worth knowing. It helps new colleagues settle in faster and feel like they belong sooner.
- How is a buddy different from a mentor or a manager?
- A buddy is a friendly peer for about 90 days, there for the everyday questions: where people eat lunch, how to ask for help, who to meet first. A manager evaluates you and a mentor helps you grow over years. A buddy does neither, which is why people can ask them anything.
- What does the program lead see?
- Who is paired with whom, and where each pair is: waiting for a yes, met for a first coffee, needs a hand, wrapped up. Never what they talk about, how often they meet or message, or why someone stepped out of a pairing. Settling-in answers are only shown as a distribution, once at least five people have answered.
- What if a buddy can't do it, or it isn't a good fit?
- A buddy can say not right now, and only the lead is told. A new colleague can quietly ask for someone else. Either person can end a pairing with no reason needed, and the lead pairs again.
- Is it only for new hires?
- No. Someone who moved team or office, or is back from leave, can ask for a buddy from their profile. Only the program lead sees the request.
- Does it connect to our HR system?
- Not yet. You add each new colleague and their start date yourself, and choose each pair, so the reporting line stays your call. It takes a minute per person.
- How do we turn it on?
- It's off by default for every organization. Talk to us and we'll make it available to yours, then your admin switches it on and names who people should contact for anything serious.
Welcome people properly.
Tell us about your next few starters, and we'll switch the buddy program on with you. A human reads every message.
Talk to us