Laura Dückers

Developers don't need onboarding, do they? The balance between corporate culture and day-to-day project work.

One in five new hires leaves before their first day. Discover a 180-day journey that turns new developers into committed, long-term team members.

Developers don't need onboarding, do they? The balance between corporate culture and day-to-day project work.
#1about 3 minutes

Challenging the myth that developers don't need onboarding

A tech director's belief that developers only need hardware and a contract highlights a common misconception about their onboarding needs.

#2about 3 minutes

Using data to justify a better onboarding process

Statistics on employee turnover, the desire for a buddy system, and the importance of socializing demonstrate the high cost of poor onboarding.

#3about 3 minutes

Engaging new hires during the pre-boarding phase

The period between signing a contract and the first day is critical for preventing new hires from accepting other offers.

#4about 2 minutes

Structuring the first week with a shadowing challenge

A shadowing mini-challenge where new hires observe a buddy and present their learnings is a highly effective first-week activity.

#5about 2 minutes

Transitioning from corporate to project-specific onboarding

After the first week, a pulse check survey and handover to the department lead ensure a smooth transition into project work.

#6about 1 minute

Establishing routines and feedback in the first months

Regular coffee check-ins, tech talks, and a formal feedback session after 10 weeks help integrate new hires into daily work and company culture.

#7about 3 minutes

The bonding phase, probation, and re-onboarding returners

The three-to-six-month period culminates in a probation review, and the same principles apply to re-onboarding employees returning from long-term leave.

#8about 3 minutes

Calculating the high financial cost of poor onboarding

Data shows that boring, confusing, or failed onboarding leads to significant employee turnover, which has a direct and calculable financial cost.

#9about 2 minutes

Key takeaways for an effective onboarding process

A successful onboarding program should be an investment, be fun and transparent, and cater to both new hires and returning employees.

#10about 10 minutes

Q&A on adapting onboarding for different contexts

Audience questions cover adapting onboarding for startups, neurodiversity, seniority levels, remote work, and outstaffing models.

Related jobs
Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.

Featured Partners

Related Articles

View all articles
DC
Daniel Cranney
Remote, Hybrid, or In-Office: What’s Really Best for Developers?
Five years ago, in the midst of a global pandemic, it seemed like we were at the beginning of a remote work revolution. At a time of huge uncertainty and mass layoffs impacting every industry, hitting tech particularly hard, companies scrambled to ad...
Remote, Hybrid, or In-Office: What’s Really Best for Developers?
CH
Chris Heilmann
WWC24 Talk - Brenda Romero - Stay: Surviving and Thriving in Tech
Brenda Romero discusses her tech career journey, overcoming burnout, and inspiring future game developers at WWC24.Here is what she had to say in the video:Hey everyone! Thanks for joining us!Reflections on a Rough YearLast year, I gave a talk about ...
WWC24 Talk - Brenda Romero - Stay: Surviving and Thriving in Tech
BR
Benjamin Ruschin
What Developers Really Need to Create Great Code Demos
Every developer on earth has, at some point, had another developer to thank for a breakthrough, a success, an aha moment they wouldn’t have had without coming across that blog post, that open-source contribution, that reply on socials or that humble ...
What Developers Really Need to Create Great Code Demos
DC
Daniel Cranney
Mastering Remote Work: Tips for Developers
Remote work has become the norm for many developers across Europe, offering flexibility, freedom, and access to global job opportunities. Here at WeAreDevelopers, many of our team remotely, based around Europe in a variety of roles, and we’re not the...
Mastering Remote Work: Tips for Developers

From learning to earning

Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.

Full Stack Engineer

Full Stack Engineer

Climax.eco
Rotterdam, Netherlands

70-100K
Senior
TypeScript
PostgreSQL
Cloud (AWS/Google/Azure)
Rust and GoLang

Rust and GoLang

NHe4a GmbH
Karlsruhe, Germany

Remote
55-65K
Intermediate
Senior
Go
Rust
Lead Full-Stack Engineer

Lead Full-Stack Engineer

Hubert Burda Media
München, Germany

80-95K
Intermediate
Senior
React
Vue.js
Node.js
MongoDB
+1