Making the first few weeks less daunting at work

We have concluded our first LinkedIn Poll to understand what the candidate community wants within their first week at work.

33% of the current community voted and the results weren’t surprising! It was difficult to split Buddy Time and Team Leader time as both options are needed in supporting those early moments of the challenging first days and weeks at work. An intro lunch appears to be 'a nice to have' but talented individuals are happy to take it or leave it.

Reviewing this data and the way in which AES onboards its talented individuals confirms our system is working well, but, in true AES fashion and never resting on our laurels, we have reflected on the following question.

“How are we doing in regard to Buddy and Manager time with regards to our new starters?”

Our initial findings are that we are doing well, but we can always do more. Therefore, we have shared some reminder insights to our buddies and team leaders on the importance of their role and how they might deliver even better collaborations.

This update was for our buddies and here are the insights we shared.

What is a buddy?

A buddy is a colleague who has agreed to be your point of contact, who can provide informal guidance and encouragement during your first few weeks of employment at AES.

They provide insight into your day-to-day activities of AES and are there to help you fit in and learn how to live within the organisation. 

Why the buddy role exists?

• Help you feel welcome and to alleviate any feelings of isolation within your new job.
• Enable you to become knowledgeable about department practices and organisational culture.
• Ensure that your routine queries regarding basic operational issues are dealt with.
• Increase your self-confidence allowing you to focus on adding value to the organisation.
• Your buddy will meet you on your first day at work, establish rapport, have lunch, tour you around the office and make introductions and be your main contact for general queries.

What are the characteristic of a good buddy?

• Demonstrates strong performance.
• Is skilled and has knowledge of your job.
• Is a peer who wants you to succeed and is committed to helping you?
• Is proud to be part of AES and their contributions.
• Is patient and has good interpersonal skills.
• Is a great communicator who can easily provide information.
• Is willing and has the ability to mentor you.

What a buddy should avoid being.

• a substitute to your line manager or mentor
• is not held accountable for your performance.
• does not review your work nor take over your work.

Tips for the Buddy

If you are asked to be a buddy, there are some tips that can help you to make the most of the experience:

• You are not expected to be an expert on everything, so don't worry about living up to this ideal.
• Be patient, a relationship with the new joiner can take time to develop.
• Don't try to cover everything right away so as not to overwhelm the new joiner. They will need time to digest all the information they are taking in.
• Reflect on your buddies’ profile and ask yourself how you can work with them effectively.
• Encourage the new joiner to ask questions and give feedback, reframe from judgment, they rely on you to be in a safe space to get answers.
• Maintain a positive, mentor attitude.
• Give your feedback to HR on your experience as a buddy. 

I hope this quick and easy guide to being an effective buddy has provided some insight in regard to how you perform.

Be a great buddy - Your colleagues need you.

At AES, we are on a mission to create positive change in the financial services industry. People are at the heart of this and we are actively looking towards the future of talent and how we can inspire the best and most talented people to work with us in connection to this mission, driven through deeply encompassed core values of Knowledge, Integrity, and Teamwork.

For more information, check out our title page, along with this careers page for more information. Feel free to also reach out to our HR team with any questions you'd like to ask.

Website - AES | Welcome to better (aesinternational.com)

LinkedIn title page - AES International: My Company | LinkedIn

LinkedIn careers page - AES Careers: Overview | LinkedIn

Facebook - (20+) AES International | Facebook

Twitter - AES International (@aesint) / Twitter