Start a buddy program

A buddy is a colleague who helps a newcomer find their feet: someone to ask the small questions, and a first coffee in the diary. You choose the pairs. We handle the gentle reminders.

Switch it on

1. 01Open Settings and go to "Members & matching". The buddy program card is there once it's available for your community.
2. 02Choose how long buddies should have been with you, and how many people each buddy helps at a time.
3. 03Say who people should contact for anything serious, like your people team. This is required.
4. 04Select "Turn on the buddy program".

Let people opt in

Members choose for themselves on their profile: "Be a buddy for new colleagues", or "Ask for a buddy". Nobody becomes a buddy without saying so.

Pair a newcomer with a buddy

1. 01Open the Buddies board in Journeys and add the newcomer to the program.
2. 02Select "Choose a buddy". Suggestions leave out anyone in the newcomer's reporting line, anyone already at capacity, and anyone who hasn't been with you long enough.
3. 03Select "Ask" with the name of the person you chose. They're asked first, and the newcomer only hears once their buddy says yes.

Suggestions get better when we know who reports to whom. You can add that on the Reporting lines page.

What happens next

• A reminder if a buddy hasn't replied after a few working days, and a note to the program lead if it's still waiting after that.
• A nudge toward a first coffee in the first week, and a check-in around a month in.
• A wrap-up as the pairing nears its end at about three months, with the option to extend once.
• The newcomer can send their buddy a thank-you note. Only the buddy sees it, and they decide whether to share it.

You can change the settings or select "Turn off the buddy program" at any time. Turning it off asks you to confirm first.

Still stuck? Write to us at hello@letsgetcoffee.app. A person reads every message.