A “Welcome to Boston” gift basket is a beautiful sight to behold.
It’s filled with Munchkins from Dunkin’ Donuts and Boston Baked Beans instead of confetti.
It includes a pocket dictionary that is Boston-specific. A handheld guide where someone can look up “tonic” and know that it means Coke. It’s not a shopping cart, it’s a “carriage.” Under “bubbleh” there is the definition of a water fountain.
There is a complimentary ticket for a Red Sox home game at Fenway. (The magic of seeing the Green Monster for the first time brings a tear to our eye over here at Built In Boston.)
An empty ballot is also part of the welcome basket — where you can officially file a vote for the best cannoli in Boston. A hotly contested race, but having a strong opinion between Mike’s versus Modern is a right of passage.
Lastly, there is a box of tissues that you can offer any Boston-lifer when they start telling stories of traffic during the Big Dig.
The “Welcome to Boston Basket” sadly isn’t real — although it should be — but we did speak with three Boston tech companies that make sure new hires are welcomed and feel supported during onboarding.
For more than 170 years, MassMutual has helped people secure their future and protect the ones they love. The mutual life insurance company is run for the benefit of its members and participating policy owners.
Describe your experience with the onboarding process at your company. What resources, tools or people were made available to you during the process?
First of all, the recruiter who worked with me was exceptional, from our initial interaction to this day. The operations team member who did my cohort’s initial onboarding continues to be a great resource. Having HR partners who are there for you and responsive to your questions adds to the positive experience. In addition, my manager and support staff in my group were with me the whole way, even traveling from outside the region to meet in person. They’ve fully supported me since.
The onboarding team sent all my equipment ahead of time, and the IT team was deeply helpful — the process was very smooth. This combination reaffirmed my excitement to come work here.
I’ve since hired team members of my own, so I’ve seen it from the other side, and I know how much thought and effort MassMutual puts into hiring and onboarding new employees, both on the HR and talent acquisition side and the business side.
Few places I’ve worked before have come close to this caliber of onboarding experience. It comes down to the company culture: is it collegial, is there a true emphasis on teamwork? That’s the foundation, in addition to an organized and thoughtful onboarding process.
“Few places I’ve worked before have come close to this caliber of onboarding experience. It comes down to the company culture: is it collegial, is there a true emphasis on teamwork?”
How did the onboarding process contribute to your understanding of the company culture, values and expectations? Were there any specific training programs, resources or mentorship opportunities provided during onboarding that you found especially helpful?
I initially worked for MassMutual after college, then went on to hold several different roles across several companies over 20 years. So my onboarding journey was also a return journey. I was intentional about the decision: I had met with many current employees who spoke highly of the culture — how welcoming it was, how partnership-focused. Teamwork. Warmth. I hadn’t always found that at other companies. I’m a former professional athlete, and a coach, so these ideas are central to how I operate.
Throughout my recruiting and onboarding process, these qualities showed themselves again and again. At MassMutual, people want to help you.
There’s also an understanding here of true leadership. In my first couple of months I went through management training, including how to lead inclusively. A lot of people throw the word ‘leadership’ around without understanding what it means. Leading a team isn’t about hierarchy. As your leader, I’m not better than you. I’m there for you — when things get tough, I’m going to step in front of you to help, or deal with the challenge alongside you. At MassMutual, I’ve found that people truly understand and honor that concept.
What about your onboarding experience was different from past experiences starting in a new role? What do you think made it so effective?
It all started with my recruiter. She was one of my first direct interactions with this company in the 20 years since I’d first worked here, and how great she is at her job made me excited to return. Everyone I met during my interview and onboarding process reinforced that. Everyone was down to earth. Everyone was also very smart — I would meet team members who were so kind and welcoming, and later I would be blown away by how talented they are in their roles.
This extends to leadership. At some large companies, executives don’t care about speaking with anyone other than their peers. That is not the case here. There’s a lighter touch by leaders here, a more genuine extension of support and interest from executives. You can’t always explain something like that. You need to experience it. And when you’re working for a place that has it, you know.
ezCater is a “food for work” technology company in the U.S., connecting anyone who needs food for their workplace to over 100,000 restaurants nationwide.
Describe your experience with the onboarding process at your company. What resources, tools or people were made available to you during the process?
The onboarding process at ezCater was both exciting and thorough. The people operations team was incredibly helpful in preparing me for what to expect over my first few weeks at ezCater.
My favorite part of the onboarding process was participating in ezBiz, a dedicated learning track for new hires that offers a foundational understanding of how ezCater operates. It was invaluable to learn about different departments at ezCater, understand their focus and see how they support both internal and external customers. It made me feel really proud to see the growth and success across these different teams, and it reconfirmed that coming to ezCater was the right choice.
“It made me feel really proud to see the growth and success across these different teams and reconfirmed that coming to ezCater was the right choice.”
The benefits team at ezCater was also incredibly helpful, providing a thorough overview of benefits and offering multiple ways to get in touch if I had any questions. Plus, our IT department was prompt in providing access to the tools and apps I required. All of these aspects made my onboarding experience smooth and allowed me to quickly ramp in my new role.
How did the onboarding process contribute to your understanding of the company culture, values and expectations? Were there any specific training programs, resources or mentorship opportunities provided during onboarding that you found especially helpful?
Through ezBiz, I not only learned about ezCater’s business and cultural values, I also built relationships with my onboarding cohort group, which helped me feel more connected to the organization and to my colleagues. Everyone led with transparency and kindness, and this validated how inclusive ezCater truly is. I also really appreciated the “Try it and Track it” mentality that our teams exemplified during the ezBiz sessions. It’s clear that we embrace a testing and learning environment that empowers employees with autonomy.
As part of the onboarding program, I also had an opportunity to shadow different teams to understand their work. We refer to these as “ride-alongs.” The ride-along with our customer service team was particularly enlightening. It gave me a clear understanding of the situations our agents face in real-time and also showed me how our agents go beyond helpful for our customers, restaurant partners and delivery partners. As someone who works closely with this team in my new role, witnessing their ability to quickly problem solve was inspiring and motivating.
What about your onboarding experience was different from past experiences starting in a new role? What do you think made it so effective?
Although I have limited personal experience with onboarding, having spent 14 years at my previous company, I’ve onboarded many new hires myself. The difference at ezCater is that the process goes beyond the superficial welcome — it dives deeper. People here genuinely care about your success and welcome you with open arms. They are also willing to set aside additional time to address specific questions as needed. It’s evident that everyone is passionate about their roles, the company and our customers, which made it easier for me, as a newcomer, to ask questions and learn as much as possible.
Wasabi Technologies is a cloud storage company that aims to make data storage affordable, predictable and secure.
Describe your experience with the onboarding process at your company. What resources, tools or people were made available to you during the process?
Before my start date, I was sent an email with easy-to-follow login and setup instructions for my new laptop. Things continued in this manner, and any onboarding information I was sent was well thought out and gave me everything I needed to know to get started. During my first two days, just like in-person roles, I had meetings with my manager, HR and IT to make sure I was up to speed and my equipment was working smoothly.
How did the onboarding process contribute to your understanding of the company culture, values and expectations?
In my role as an events specialist, I’ve needed to learn what Wasabi does so I can ensure we have the right messaging at each conference. To do this, I was given access to some great online training materials and attended an informational session about Wasabi’s history and values. The last thing that I found helpful was going to an event and hearing our team talk to customers, and by the end of the event, I felt comfortable talking to potential customers about what Wasabi does.
“I was given access to some great online training materials and attended an informational session about Wasabi’s history and values.”
What about your onboarding experience was different from past experiences starting in a new role? What do you think made it so effective?
I’ve found that people at Wasabi really do embody the H.O.T. values, which stand for humility, ownership and togetherness. Since day one, I’ve been warmly greeted by each person I’ve interacted with, and I feel a deep sense of community. We may work remotely, but we connect online each day with jokes or encouragement, which has made my transition feel seamless.
