Well done! You’ve moved your business forward into a remote setting, enabling you to build beyond borders and cubicles. The very best remote teams are led and designed with robust systems in mind. And, while you may find it strange to contemplate, a key system your remote team needs is a buddy system.
Why a buddy system matters
Back in cubicle land, it’s the conversations around the coffee machine or the lunch breaks with colleagues that make implementing a buddy system sometimes unnecessary in a work environment. Within a remote team, however, a buddy system is your business’ best friend. Naysayers about remote work often grind their point down to the concept that remote work can be isolating. Remote work does not have to be isolating, at all, and won’t be when you build an effective buddy system. A well-structured buddy system brings the water cooler conversation and the informal chit-chat into the realm of your remote team. An effective buddy system gives new team members a go-to person for support, guidance, and social connection. It helps newcomers feel welcome, accelerates their integration into the team, and elevates their productivity and job satisfaction.
Choose the right buddy
The right buddy is going to be different for everyone, however, you’ll quickly be able to spot the ideal buddies for implementing your buddy system. Look for team members who embody your company culture, have a solid understanding of your processes, and are excellent communicators. Ideally, your right buddy should have been with your company for at least a year and be enthusiastic about mentoring others. Consider pairing new hires with buddies from different departments. This creates a cross-functional approach which gives new hires and team members a broader perspective on the company. Another benefit is that it breaks down silos within your business, and makes interdepartmental collaboration a breeze.
Big tip: make sure your appointed buddies can manage mentoring and being a buddy for others, and factor it into their schedule.
Train your buddies
Once you’ve chosen your buddies, you should give them some training. Just because they’re great employees does not immediately make them great buddies. Provide training to ensure your buddies understand their role and have the skills to fulfill it effectively. Your short training programme should cover active listening, giving constructive feedback, and cultural sensitivity, especially if your team spans multiple countries and cultures. Equip your buddies with a comprehensive onboarding checklist and resources that they can share with their mentees.
Build the buddy relationship
Now that you’ve selected your buddies and are ready to pair them up with new hires or other team members, you need to create a routine and structure to build the buddy relationship.
Start with more frequent check-ins during the first month, and then gradually decrease the frequency as your new hire becomes more comfortable. For the first month, aim for weekly check-ins. These sessions should cover immediate needs, daily tasks, company processes, and cultural orientation. In the second and third months, move to bi-weekly check-ins focusing on deeper integration and ongoing support. After the first quarter, monthly check-ins may work best. While structured check-ins are the backbone of your buddy system, encourage informal interactions too. Set up virtual coffee breaks, online game sessions, or a buddy book club. Creating casual touchpoints can help to build stronger relationships and make new hires feel more connected to the team.
Create a check-in agenda
It’s great to have a buddy, but what will each check-in cover? The buddy system will work best when you build the right structure. To ensure the check-ins are productive, create a standard agenda that buddies can customise based on your new hire’s needs. A typical agenda would include a personal check-in to see how the new hire is feeling about their role and remote work setup. Then, it would move on to clarifying tasks and checking on your team member’s progress. Your buddies should also discuss company tools, systems, and processes. All too often, new hires may be nervous to ask a question about your systems – this is their time to get all those questions answered. Your buddies should also chat about team dynamics, and your company culture, and set some goals for the coming weeks. While there should be a general agenda, it’s important that your buddy check-in sessions are informal, conversational, and informative.
Grow your buddy system
No system should be stagnant, and that applies to your buddy system too. Your buddy programme should evolve based on feedback and experience. Regularly survey buddies and new hires about their experience. What’s working well? What could be improved? Use these insights to refine and strengthen your buddy system over time. Don’t forget to recognize and celebrate your buddies’ efforts. Being a buddy requires time and energy, so it’s important to acknowledge this contribution. Consider their mentorship as a factor in performance reviews, or consider giving them a bonus or award.
Building a buddy system for your remote team takes effort, but the payoff in terms of employee engagement, retention, and overall team cohesion is well worth it. When you give your new hire a buddy, they’re set to savour your remote team environment.
At Prominence Global, we’re committed to helping businesses thrive in this environment, as we use our expertise in LinkedIn strategies and digital entrepreneurship to build high-performing remote teams. With Prominence Global’s Remote Team Connect service, you can tap into a world of talent and reshape your business towards growing, global success.
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