New hires struggle to feel connected to colleagues they rarely see face to face. One increasingly popular solution: match newcomers with buddies.
This idea existed before the pandemic, but the boom in remote work boosted interest in buddy systems. In this setup, newcomers get assigned a co-worker to orient them. Buddies help individuals assimilate and flourish through informal counseling about key tasks, powerful players, unspoken rules, obscure acronyms and expected attire.
