Getting on board at Systematic with gamification and the CEO
At Systematic, we take pride in our onboarding process. We believe that we create a strong employee experience that helps our new joiners become valuable members of our community.
By Aurelian Baetu, Solutions Engineer; Andreea Ciontescu, Procurement Manager; Gabriela Spataru, Employer Branding Specialist, Systematic Romania
Since the COVID restrictions are starting to loosen across the EU, we were happy to invite our colleagues from Romania to participate in the June onboarding session. Here are their testimonials about the experience at Systematic's Headquarters in Aarhus.
At Systematic, the onboarding takes place at our Headquarters in Aarhus for all our employees, no matter where they are around the world. During one week, our new joiners have the chance to meet our CEO, Michael Holm, and the VPs for each business unit who participate during different onboarding sessions. They also hear their vision, strategy, and their tactical plans for the upcoming year.
Furthermore, we also make sure that the participants are thoroughly introduced to all the cultural differences at Systematic. We have offices around the world, and we respect each other while being culturally aware.
Another reason for inviting all new employees to the Headquarters for onboarding is to get a feel for the organizational culture. We strive to have physical onboarding in Denmark, but unfortunately, we had to adapt to the digital environment due to the pandemic. Now that the pandemic restrictions are loosening up in the EU, we are glad we had the chance to meet our colleagues from Romania and to have them present at the onboarding in Aarhus.
Here's what they had to say about it.
Aurelian Baetu, Solutions Engineer for Defence
Onboarding at Systematic has a gamified approach, making the training more exciting, increasing participants' focus and engagement. The onboarding started with a very insightful speech from the CEO, Michael Holm, which gave us a clear picture of the company strategy and helped me align my objectives with the organizational goals. I had lots of fun during the Scrum Master games, where I learned that people see things differently and that we have to pay more attention to all the requests we receive.
There are many cases where the details are not always clearly mentioned in the requirements, so you have to dig deeper and be more analytical. No question is stupid, and it's always better to clarify all aspects of a task before you start working on it.
The Cultural Awareness session was my favorite. I was amazed by how many things I learned about people from this workshop, which made me want to explore the world even more. Learning from other people's cultures is mind-opening, and it helps us better understand and see things from different perspectives.
Gabriela Spataru, Employer Branding Specialist
In my opinion, a great onboarding process is the one that acclimates me to the cultural organization and processes, and helps me build a strong relationship with my peers while slowly integrating into the company's community. I have experienced some onboarding processes in my previous jobs. Still, none of them had such a strong focus on understanding the company's culture and understanding how to smooth the cooperation process across borders.
I am excited to be part of a company that has such a solid people-centric approach. It was engaging, inspiring, with tons of "a-ha moments".
Andreea Ciontescu, Procurement Manager
It was great to meet Michael Holm in person and to hear him sharing with us with such transparency the organization's objectives and vision for the future. What I liked the most during the onboarding days was the fact that the trainers challenged us to fix the theoretical information through gamification. This was a great solution to engage us during the onboarding process and turn routine tasks into fun and engaging activities.
All the tips and tricks presented will help me manage my responsibilities better within my role and provided me with a sense of confidence.