The Birkman Method in MailChimp’s Successful Onboarding Process
July 5, 2017
Making new hires feel like a part of the team can be difficult to navigate, but MailChimp has managed to develop an onboarding process that builds a sense of community, creates effective communication, and helps propel teams towards success. Before employees can begin working, they must participate in a robust welcoming program that pairs new hires with “Chimpanions”, have face-time with co-workers and the executive team, and attend trainings that make them feel welcome and supported from the get-go. MailChimp also leverages personality insights gathered from The Birkman Method to help employees develop self-awareness and understand how they fit into their teams.
For their first week on the job, all new hires go through onboarding with our Education team. They meet with our Facilities, IT, and Benefits teams to learn all about our office and the perks of working at MailChimp. Throughout their first week, they’ll meet representatives from every department across the company to learn more about what everyone does and how it all fits together.
This can be a lot to take in, but we emphasize our internal motto, “Listen hard, change fast,” and our company values of humility, creativity, and independence.
Then all new hires also take a Birkman Assessment, which illuminates behavioral and occupational styles and helps teams figure out the best ways to communicate with one another. Our Education team guides them through understanding the results—there’s no “good” or “bad” outcome, just a personality profile—which are also made available to each new hire’s manager. Afterward, we make a point of introducing new hires to key team members who can fill them in on the company’s history, priorities, and overall goals. New hires sit down with our Research team for a “Customer Chat” to learn about the needs and challenges of our customers.
Read more about how a company with 500+ employees and a tiny turnover rate of 4% prepares their new employees.
