Few people on the Epsy team have met one another in real life.

I recently walked into my brand new office at Epsy… straight from my lounge to my desk. Our team was recruited in March 2020, just before COVID-19 sent us all scurrying indoors, so it was great to finally meet the moving faces beyond the Linked avatars - the talking heads of Epsy that I’d grow to know well. 

And now months later, as we are preparing to welcome a handful of talented new members to our team, we’re reflecting on our new starter process. An employee’s onboarding journey in a company is similar to a new user’s onboarding journey in an app, and we can apply much of the same thinking:

We're excited to have you join us

We appreciate the work from both sides that have resulted in your foot through our door. So besides the benefits you’ve heard about before you arrived here, day one is a refresher to remind you of our promise to you and why you should come back tomorrow.

Speak up if you're feeling blocked

Up to 30% of employees decide in their first week if they’re going to stay in a new job. And the numbers are much higher when it comes to an app experience. In both scenarios, we try to eliminate barriers and are constantly looking to improve - for example, we’re currently redesigning our welcome screen from the above to this:

It’s the golden time to pick up new skills

There’s no such thing as a silly question, especially when you’re new. Without the pressure to start any big tasks, use the time to look around and learn. Especially if you’re remote, what were you going to do with those extra hours in the evening anyway?

Everyone is different and should be treated that way

Just like everyone on their treatment path in epilepsy, each individual employee is different. By setting up clear expectations and communicating directly in regular 1:1s, a culture of continuous feedback is fostered, which makes us work better, everyday.

Community is key

Speaking of culture, it will form by itself, so it’s up to everyone to lead and shape it as much as possible, into something we’re proud of. We aim to create an exceptional environment for our users, and we do the same for our team; be that through welcome week lunches, themed socials, outdoor team walks, and cooldown sessions to celebrate the wins.

In delivering digital experiences for users as part of our craft, we’ve learnt to apply some of these principles to build better experiences in the workplace. 

Tomorrow, we’re planning a socially-distanced-social in the park, where we’ll see one another for the first time in 3D. Yet right now, I can’t quite fathom people being taller than the height of my MacBook Pro...