Objectives: In 2021, we piloted a Buddy Program for new hires as a part of the onboarding process. The buddy served as an additional resource to the new employee’s supervisor for onboarding. The intent of the buddy relationship was to ease the transition for the new hire and provide a peer connection to assist with questions in the first months of hiring and promote a friendly working relationship across departments. The buddy program was not intended to limit contact or replace informal communication with other colleagues. All library staff were encouraged to interact with the new hire either formally or informally.
Methods: The pilot was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the intent that it would fill the gap of serendipitous interactions that would have occurred if the new staff member was on site. All library staff were invited to be considered as buddies, with the final selection made by the new hire’s supervisor. Matches were made based on common interests, work experience, or the potential for collaboration between the individuals, as well as peer-to-peer level. During the pilot, three new hires were assigned a buddy. Each pairing committed to meeting regularly during the first two months, and then once a month for the remaining two months. The pair decided if they wanted to continue meeting after the initial four months.
Results: Overall, participants thought the pilot was a valuable experience. Feedback from the Buddies and the new hires indicated positive interactions and the program helped new hires build community in a virtual setting.
Conclusions: The pilot was successful in that it provided new hires with a support system outside of their supervisor interactions, and provided an opportunity to interact with other staff outside of their department.
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