Thoughtful. Organized. Comprehensive. Welcoming. These are a few words our employees use to describe the onboarding period at Forcura.
Having worked at Forcura for more than four years, I am proud to say that we are still the same collegial, inclusive, and lively health tech company as we were when I started. After joining as a Client Trainer, I soon took over the onboarding experience for new hires and have onboarded more than 100 of our employees – and counting – ever since.
We believe our new employees are vital to the continued prosperity of the company, so we want them to feel truly welcome and supported. Once candidates sign a job offer, I start the journey of acclimating them to Forcura with our Onboarding Plan. Unlike most organizations, which may offer a few days of orientation at most, we spend the first two to three weeks training new hires on the company, our products, and services. This comprehensive program ensures new hires understand our mission, our teams, and our technology.
We do not, however, lecture our audiences for hours at a time using static slides; we hold interactive Meet the Teams sessions, in which we introduce new hires to members of all our teams within Forcura. This provides an opportunity not only for new hires to learn about other departmental functions and how they might interact with those teams in their roles, but for employees to meet new hires and keep pace with where our company is developing.
In addition, weekly company huddles keep us in touch with what is going on at Forcura. New hires are introduced during these huddles and are invited to share a fun fact about themselves. This is a great way to get to know new hires on a large scale, which has become even more important due to growth and the distant locations from which some employees are working.
To reinforce our creative and playful spirit, new hires also meet with our Culture Team, a group of nominated individuals who plan service projects and entertaining events to keep everyone engaged. One of our core values, after all, is fun, and our Culture Team ensures we maintain a great balance between work and play.
Cross-team collaboration and fun activities are critical to prevent silos that can break down a company’s workplace culture. Personal interactions are also key because they build relationships across the organization. Embedding these opportunities in our onboarding has only become a greater priority since our employees have had to work remotely during the pandemic.
I am fortunate that in my position, I get to meet every new hire, but as a company grows, it can become harder for employees to meet and get to know each other on a personal basis. Our Culture Team activities and quarterly kickoff events allow newer employees to get to know their colleagues on a more personal level in a relaxed environment, thus promoting bonding and trust.
My advice for any startup or growing company interested in preserving their workplace culture is to make this a priority, a companywide goal as Forcura does. We strive to make our culture resonate with our employees from their first day. With our comprehensive onboarding plan, the opportunities to meet team members, and the sociable events, we want new employees to recognize immediately that Forcura is different from any other company they have worked for before. They get to experience our passion, our drive, and our commitment to investing in their growth and development. It takes a team to make this happen, and Forcura dedicates the people and resources needed to lead the charge and encourages participation from everyone.
By fostering both formal and informal interactions among employees, you can maintain a small company feel, even within an expanding or larger organization.
