Onboardings & Free Lunches

When I started working as a software developer in DKB Code Factory, it was one of the peak times of the pandemic, and all the onboarding was happening during the lockdown. But it didn't stop Code Factory from having onboardings during these days. I remember the lovely people very vividly who brought my office equipment to my door and delivered them to me personally with some beautiful gifts inside. The weird state that we were all in didn't stop them from being friendly and providing a warm welcome message face-to-face. I remember thinking, "How nice of them."

Luckily, those days of pandemics, lockdowns, and face masks are long over, and we are now doing the onboarding at CoFa in person. Those onboardings now include a new process called "Onboarding Buddy." But it is not your typical tech buddy. You get to know each other, show around in the office, and hang out for a while, and the company pays out for your lunch together, and... Well, that's about it, actually. Nothing technical, nothing related to work.

At first, I didn't get what this onboarding buddy program was about. My developer mind simply didn't understand how this could create value. But still, I wanted to give it a try. What else to lose?

So I have been matched with Sarangan, a senior Android developer and wannabe Code Factorian. After the match, my good friend Leonard told me I was matched with his former colleague! And he was a volunteer for this program as well! So you know where this is going, right? If not, then please see the picture below:

So Eugen, Leonard, Sarangan, and I had a great lunch together, all paid for by the company. We bonded over the suffering caused by the paperwork and the excellent food. We also wanted to play some Mario Kart and kicker after our lunch if only we didn't have releases that day. I said to myself, "How nice for CoFa to have this initiative". You get to know people outside of your own team/project bubble. Also, this is the most pleasant and nicest introduction for newcomers as well.

After having this lovely experience, I remembered my own first days at Cofa, and at that moment, everything clicked in my head. The onboarding is more than just the technical aspect of things. It is also about creating a genuine humane connection between peers and making people feel welcome and comfortable in their new environment. Once again, I felt lucky to be around here.

Warning: This article has NOT been written or edited by ChatGPT at all. If you notice any grammatical errors, authoring mistakes, or inappropriate awkwardness, the author is solely to blame.

written by Levent Ünver, Software Developer (Backend)