Want to go deep into the onboarding process with the aim of achieving a warm welcome to the team? In this article, we share our onboarding checklist. We tell you everything about how we make it at Abstracta, an IT company that offers holistic, first-world, and cutting-edge solutions with a deep humanistic company culture.
When exploring the landscape of team building within the tech industry, the emphasis often leans toward technical skills and innovation. However, at Abstracta, we believe in going a step further by assembling teams that not only excel in technical prowess, expertise, and innovative thinking but are also rooted in a deep humanistic culture.
This philosophy enables us to foster an environment where every individual is recognized as a vital contributor to our collective mission, making Abstracta more than just a workplace but a significant part of their life’s journey.
During various interactions, whether at events, with clients, or with partners, a question that frequently arises is, “How do we onboard new team members and ensure we have really great people working with us?” This query underscores the interest in our unique approach to welcoming and integrating new people into our fold.
At Abstracta, our onboarding process is meticulously designed to give every new hire a warm welcome and integrate them into our dynamic team. This guide is your gateway to a long and successful journey within a company that values company culture. Embark on a new journey through our complete onboarding checklist and a warm welcome to the team.
Cultivating a Culture of Mutual Care
As people embark on a new job, we deeply believe that it’s important for them to be considered a valuable asset to our entire team. That’s why when conducting an onboarding process at Abstracta, we’re thrilled to extend the warmest welcome to each new member joining our team.
Our comprehensive onboarding checklist reflects our deep commitment and is designed to achieve a smooth welcome for every new team member while promoting a culture of continuous learning and development.
To address this, we’ve instituted a dedicated People Care team, which goes beyond the conventional Human Resources model. Why? Because at Abstracta we don’t talk about human resources but about people; we value people as people, not as resources.
This does not more than reflect our dedication to cultivating a culture where mutual choice and respect are foundational, aiming to ensure that both Abstracta and its new members are aligned in shared values and goals from the outset.
Our commitment is reflected in our efforts to:
- Cultivate an environment where mutual choice and respect are foundational.
- Align shared values and goals from the very outset between Abstracta and its new members.
- Implement our unique onboarding process, meticulously designed to offer a warm welcome and seamlessly integrate new people.
- Foster a profound humanistic culture, valuing each individual’s contribution and enriching our collective mission.
This approach reinforces the idea that Abstracta is more than just a workplace; it’s a significant part of one’s life journey.
Don’t miss this article! Abstracta was distinguished as one of “The Best Places to Work in Uruguay 2023”
The Abstracta Onboarding Checklist
1. A Warm Welcome Through Video
Our journey begins with a personalized welcome message created by our People Care team. This video not only introduces new members to the Abstracta family but also explains what the onboarding process entails and highlights our unique approach to holistic quality software.
Additionally, through this video, we provide a detailed overview of Abstracta Academy, our innovative training platform. Every year, people from around the world enroll in Abstracta Academy for the prestige of its training and the numerous opportunities it offers. This platform is freely available to all Abstracta team members and also extends its resources to their families, boosting their skills and career development opportunities.
We invite you to read this article: Breaking New Ground at Abstracta Academy.
2. Abstracta Wiki: A Comprehensive Company Knowledge Center
As a second step, we present our Wiki, an invaluable resource for our new team members. This guide offers insights into our company culture, work methodologies, and the onboarding software we use. It is designed to ensure that every new hire is well-equipped to thrive in their new position.
The Abstracta Wiki includes:
Who We Are and Our Organizational Structure
Provides an understanding of the core of Abstracta and how our team is organized. It encompasses a detailed overview of our company’s history, mission, and organizational structure.
Work Tools and Internal Communication
Describes the tools we use daily for work and communication, with the aim of ensuring smooth and efficient collaboration across all teams.
Our Workspaces: Offices and Work Environment
Offers information about our offices and the work environment. It covers the different locations where we operate, and how we create a productive and enjoyable workspace.
Our Culture: The Abstracta Way
Explains the unique aspects of our company culture. It details the values and principles that guide our actions, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment.
Work Methodology: Time Tracking, Work Hours, Leadership Teams, Meetings
Provides details on how we manage time tracking, work hours, leadership teams, and meeting structures. This section enables you to understand our workflow processes and integrate seamlessly into our daily operations.
Roadmap: Clear Career Plan
Outlines our roadmap that provides a clear career plan to help you grow within the company. It highlights the potential career paths available and the steps you can take to advance professionally within Abstracta.
Benefits and Compensation
Details the benefits and compensation we offer. This includes information on health insurance, English classes, continuous training opportunities, gym memberships, and the different modes of employment and contracting. and other perks that enhance your overall well-being.
Performance Evaluation and Self-Assessment: Compass
Describes Compass, our methods for performance evaluation and self-assessment to help you continue growing. It makes it possible you receive constructive feedback and have the tools to set and achieve personal development goals.
Leaves and Time Off
Provides information on leave policies and time off. It covers the various types of leave available, as well as formats in which we promote parental co-responsibility, ensuring you can maintain a healthy work-life balance.
3. Clear Career Plan
As a third step, we provide each new team member with a personalized roadmap and delve deeper into what Compass and Scale are—our proprietary tools designed to offer a clear and transparent career plan that is both motivating and aimed at minimizing any potential gaps.
Below, we explain each of these tools:
Roadmap
Our roadmap offers a clear career plan, helping you understand what is expected in your current role and how to advance, from Junior to Leader, and also beyond. It includes detailed rubrics outlining the skills needed for each level of seniority, promoting transparency and continued growth.
Get to know more about our roadmap in this article.
Scale
Scale is our self-developed salary calculator that enables fair and competitive compensation. It takes into account your continuous learning, bilingual communication skills, intellectual humility, and contributions to our culture.
Compass
Compass is our tool for performance evaluation and self-assessment, providing constructive and periodic feedback and setting clear development goals. It includes rubrics that define key behaviors and skills needed to achieve excellence and continuously reinforce your commitment, ensuring you stay on the path to professional growth.
This tailored approach underscores our dedication to the growth and well-being of our team members, aligning with our broader mission to deliver unparalleled quality assurance service
4. Continuous Learning and Development
Our commitment to professional development extends to offering free English classes for all levels and access to a wealth of training resources. This emphasis on continuous learning is a cornerstone of our onboarding program, enabling new joiners to seamlessly adapt to their new role and contribute from their specific backgrounds and interests.
We are also open to feedback from our team members about their learning interests and take action to support these initiatives. Additionally, we have student-friendly policies, such as the option to work part-time and designated study days.
5. Engaging with Our Community
We encourage everyone at Abstracta to follow with Abstracta on social media, to connect with our people out there, and to engage with our vibrant community. This engagement is vital for feeling integrated into our team and understanding the company’s culture.
Additionally, we communicate daily through Slack, which is essential for remote teams to feel close beyond meetings. We encourage new members to join the team and topic-specific channels that bring different teams together and foster a sense of community.
6. Valuing Feedback
As part of our onboarding checklist, we seek feedback from new team members to understand their onboarding experience better. We ask these specific questions to get closer:
- What are your hopes and expectations upon joining Abstracta?
- What would you like to find here?
- Why did you choose to join the team?
- What excites you about this opportunity?
- Is there anything you would like to share about your experience so far compared to what you imagined?
This feedback is crucial for continuously refining our process and ensuring it remains a continuous process of improvement.
Elevating Quality Assurance: The Abstracta Difference
What truly sets Abstracta apart is our approach to holistic, innovative, and quality software.
Guided by seasoned leaders, our team is always at the forefront of first-world solutions, continually seeking ways to improve our services. This dedication to excellence is what enables us to transform businesses and elevate their quality to new heights.
That being said, here are some common questions people often ask us:
How Does Our Hiring Team Choose New Team Members?
Our hiring team deeply understands our culture, having worked closely with the operations team and leaders for many years. They have learned to identify not just skills, but also deeper qualities such as attitudes, motivations, interests, and proposes.They look beyond the surface to see if a candidate truly fits with our values and the broader mission of Abstracta.
When someone new joins, we often say that this person feels like they could become a friend, as we find so much in common and align well in terms of values. This alignment is crucial for maintaining the cohesive and supportive environment that defines Abstracta.
Why Do We Hire Experienced Professionals, and What Do We Look for Beyond Certifications?
We value real-world experience over mere certifications like ISTQB. Simply stating “10 years of experience” does not convince us if it means repeating the same tasks without striving for improvement.
We look for candidates who know industry leaders, have sought continuous education, and have stayed updated with the latest advancements in the field. All this is indicative of a proactive and dedicated professional. We believe that true expertise comes from a commitment to growth and learning.
How Do We Integrate and Support Team Members Without Experience?
We welcome individuals from various training centers that we know well, understanding their strengths and areas for improvement. Our internal processes are designed to continue their education, supported by our own academy with courses aligned to our way of working.
Before assigning a less experienced person to a client, they work at our cost, transparently, to build trust. This approach might initially require additional support from the team, but we have found that the benefits far outweigh the time investment.
Integrating new team members this way boosts them to be well-prepared and confident, and it also provides valuable backup within larger teams when someone is on leave or unwell, maintaining continuity and reliability for our clients.
Interested in Joining Abstracta?
Joining Abstracta means becoming part of a team dedicated to excellence in software quality and a culture that values continuous learning and mutual care. Our onboarding checklist is just the beginning of a journey that boosts growth, innovation, and a commitment to elevating quality standards.
We have been named one of the top global B2B companies in 2024 by Clutch Awards. It’s a recognition that highlights our commitment to excellence in custom software development, software testing, and AI-driven software solutions.
We typically have various open positions in testing and development, but sometimes also in support areas. If you are interested in being part of a company like Abstracta and feel you would be a great fit, we encourage you to apply here: https://abstracta.us/why-us/careers.
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