Providing the full Mistral experience from day 1 is a task we approach with great care and excitement. Multiple Mistral teams come together to ensure the onboarding of new teammates is well designed, personalized, and thoughtfully planned.
While the full-blown/fireworks onboarding is best done live or in combination (live + remote), our process is fully adaptable and does its magic even in a completely virtual setting.
The context of the pandemic (having 200+ people on full remote, from 16 cities in BiH, and worldwide) helped us additionally fine-tune this process.
Here’s an insight into what awaits all new Mistral members upon joining our team.
Mistral 101: All Set and Ready?
Many of our departments and team members join forces to ensure a seamless and memorable experience.
What does that mean?
- Our IT wizards make sure all required hardware arrives at the location of our newcomer prior to the first working day. It is a priority that they are equipped with all the necessary tools and accounts. Nothing left but to say Hello to the new Mistralovac via MS Teams.
- Our Marketing and Communications team makes sure there is a Welcoming announcement so that the entire company knows who is arriving on that day. This fun visual contains the name and surname, previous experience of the newcomer, his/her team, and Mistral buddy (we’ll explain the buddy role in a minute). We also include some bits of information about the person (is he/she a yogi, what type of video games they like, what do they prefer doing in their free time, whether they have pets and other types of geeky stuff we’re all into) to get the vibe of our new member.
- The Admin team makes sure our new colleagues have the information before they know they need them. Sounds great, right? To be more precise, this team is in charge of all the information and preparation linked with contracts, paperwork, and legal obligations.
- Our HP team is your biggest support from the start, from initial interviews to sending out that famous email titled ‘Congratulations and Welcome to Mistral!’. The friendly faces of our HP crew are continuing the onboarding journey with the newcomer by designing a customized onboarding plan for each newcomer, assigning a buddy, and making sure all of the questions are answered.
You’ll Never Onboard Alone: The Buddy System
During the first week, the newcomer is assigned with a buddy, a person from Mistral dedicated to assist them on any matter, share community tips & tricks, and ensure our newcomer has the smoothest first 3 months. We take the role of a buddy as a privilege. Yes, it is also some extra work for the assigned buddy, on top of their sprint plans and everyday work. However, this commitment is for sure one of the reasons behind a strong community and each of us owns it with ease.
Buddy introduces the new teammate to the Practice Groups, explains where our internal resources are (video portal, educational platforms, library) and how to log in, and other community matters.
He/she is in charge of breaking down Mistral events to the newcomer, and our activities. Often, a simple act of grabbing a cup of coffee together, even if it’s in a virtual setup, makes a newcomer feel like he/she is well taken care of, and in a familiar, warm environment.
The Merch, the Merch!
There is a reason why all sports teams wear the same jerseys. It creates a sense of unity, confidence, and belonging. This is why it’s no surprise that our Mistral hoodies and shirts are among the most popular items in our goodie welcome bag.
Our goodie bag consists of a branded coffee mug, our favorite tea/coffee, notebooks with our favorite geeks on them, a pair of stickers, and a handwritten letter. There are a few things that we’d like to keep a secret for now. This welcoming gift is another way to tell our new members how excited we are on this special day. This all creates an immersive company culture experience. Just imagine our team buildings with 200 people wearing the same cool Mistral gear. We bet we’d be your favorite team to cheer for.
Let’s Grab a Coffee Together: Chilling Out!
We want our new colleagues to feel welcome while remaining true to the local reputation that everything is easier with a cup of coffee or tea, so we live up to this custom even in a virtual setup through:
- Coffee with the Founders
At least one Friday a month we have an in-house tradition of having our noon coffee with Mersed, Sanin, and our management team. We also use this event as a place for the rest of the team to see and meet our new teammates as well as pose them questions. As you may guess, some of them are hilarious.
- Meet Your Colleagues
These meetings are specially tailored for newcomers and usually held with a few (up to 4) and one representative of each department (IT team, HP team, Marketing, Admin). Aside from explaining what each department does, especially in correlation to them – we use this time to chill, bond, and provide room for feedback, as they can ask anything they like.
First Impression is Everything, Really
Creating and maintaining an environment of culture that is open, transparent, and supportive from the beginning would not be possible without each and every member of the Mistral crew.
Whether they take their time to explain and guide our team members through sets of procedures or making an internal joke in our meetings (or a prank if you leave your laptop unlocked on your first day in the office) breaking the first-day anxiety – the process of (remote) onboarding remains one of the most important rituals we have and nurture. It is the foundation of our 3 pillar values (People First, Culture of Trust, Passion for Growth), and our community.
*Care to join us and see for yourself? Check out all our open positions here. Looking forward to meeting you!