Designing a

Buddy Program

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Your simple guide to designing and
launching a successful “Buddy Program”

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What is the “Buddy Program”? Who is the “Buddy”?
A “Buddy” is usually an existing employee who has been working at your
The Buddy Program is a great tool that helps you company for a while and has a certain degree of
enhance the onboarding process of your new hires. knowledge about your company culture and orientation needs.
By matching a new employee with a ''buddy'', you
will be able to accelerate the onboarding process of
your new hires while equipping them with the tools Characteristics of a Good Buddy:
needed to deal with any issues that they may face • Is an experienced employee who has been at the company for a
early on in their jobs. minimum of 1 year.
• Is well regarded and accepted by current employees.
• A Buddy can be from a different department of the new
employee.
• Demonstrates a strong performance in their existing role, and has a
basic understanding of the new hire’s role.
• Has patience, as well as strong communication and interpersonal skills.

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• Has the willingness, the ability and the passion to mentor others.
• Has the willingness to involve the new employee in social
activities, such as lunches, coffee breaks and informal outings.

Why Introduce a “Buddy Program”?

Building relationships is key to fostering a healthy and productive work
environment, and by introducing the Buddy Program your company and
employees will enjoy multiple benefits:

• The new employee will be able to add value more quickly, leading to
increased confidence and self-esteem.
• Improved business performance, profit and staff morale.
• Orientation doesn’t cover everything. Through the Buddy Program,
new hires will be able to learn more about the company’s unwritten
rules.
• It has been proven that having friends at work increases engagement
and retention.

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What's the difference between a
Buddy, Coach and Mentor?
• A mentoring program aims to help the employee with
their development, on both the personal and
professional levels.

• A coaching program aims to increase the employee’s

job-related skills.

• A buddy program is all about providing a one-point of

contact to learn all about the operationally necessary
information. In brief, the development of the individual is
not the main expected output.

Suggested Buddy Program

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Implementation Plan:
1 Create a Simple - Yet Formal - Buddy
Program Document
As a first step you need to create a simple and formal
document that outlines what the Buddy Program is
and what the role of the buddy is all about.

2 Select your Potential “Buddies”

Once you select the potential staff member to assume
the buddy role, you need to share that document with
him/ her to ensure that the program will be as smooth
as possible. Your buddies need to be fully responsible
for their role and they should treat it as a job-related
responsibility.

3 Provide a checklist of the topics the buddy

should cover with the new employee

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Sample “Buddy Program” Checklist
Before the New Employee Starts: First Few Weeks
• Prepare the workplace of the employees in terms of: desk, • Introduce the employee to his/ her coworkers as this might
phone, employee ID, stationary…etc. take more than one day to cover everyone.

• Learn more about the new employee by reviewing his/ her • Explain briefly each employee’s role to the new employee.
CV.
• Show him/ her around the office where the employee will be
working as well any outdoor facilities such as employees’
parking, ATM, bathrooms, exits, kitchen…etc.

• Include the new hire in group lunches, coffee breaks and

informal outings.

• Help the new hire with ordering equipment and any other

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office supplies.

• Highlight and explain your company benefits.

First 6 Months

Day 1 • For 6 months, each month the Buddy along with the HR
manager will be sitting with the employee to see how things
• Greet the new employee and introduce yourself as his/ her are going and to hear out the new employee’s comments,
“Buddy”. ideas, and updates.

• Provide your contact information to the new employee. • If the new employee has certain concerns or issues that need
to be addressed, the Buddy must inform the HR department
• Conduct an introductory tour around the office so that the to look into the matter and take the needed action if
new employee can meet everyone. necessary.

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 Sample “Buddy Program” Satisfaction Survey

My Buddy met with me regularly

4 Encourage knowledge sharing and/or communicated changes
necessary that affected meetings
1 2 3 4 5
The new employee comes with a wealth of information
scheduled.
and previous work experiences. As the buddy explains
company methods and style of work at your organization,
he or she can make a point to ask the new hire how he/ My Buddy consistently assisted with
she managed the same processes in their previous identifying and setting goals for my 1 2 3 4 5
positions. growth.

5 Evaluate and debrief the buddy and the new

employee Our meetings were relevant,
focused, and meaningful.
1 2 3 4 5
At the end of the buddy relationship, the hiring manager
should ask both the buddy and the new employee to

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complete a brief survey aimed at improving the Buddy
Program. To evaluate the buddy role in the orientation,
you can use a variety of methods, such as: My Buddy is conscientious about
safeguarding confidentiality.
1 2 3 4 5
• Interviewing both new employees and buddies who
have gone through the process.
Sample Evaluation Questions: My Buddy provides adequate
• How is your job going? support in helping me learn and 1 2 3 4 5
• Any issues? If yes, what?
grow.
• How has your buddy been helpful (or not)?
• Do you suggest any changes to the buddy program?
• Do you need any additional work tools?
• Is there anything you feel out of the loop about? The buddy program had positive
• Do you need anything that you don’t have access to? side effects on me. 1 2 3 4 5

• Sending a questionnaire to the new employees

Please enter any comments / suggestions to help us improve
the Buddy Program:

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It’s good to talk!

About ZenHR

ZenHR is a cloud-based Human Resources

Management System (HRMS) that is

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specifically designed to serve everyone from
SME to Enterprise customers in the MENA
https://www.zenhr.com/en/start_trial market.
Request a Demo
https://www.zenhr.com/en/start_trial
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market, including all labor laws, expat
regulations, and social security & tax laws.

For any additional questions about creating

your own Buddy Program, feel free to email us:
[email protected]

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