Building connections with colleagues is a crucial part of beginning any new role, but helping new hires foster strong relationships remains a challenge for some companies as teams continue to adapt to remote and hybrid work environments.
Agile Six, though, adopted robust remote-work practices into the company’s culture from its earliest days. It has long since established an effective remote onboarding experience that supports a strong community and welcoming environment.
When Software Engineer John Luo joined the team, he was initially concerned about how he would collaborate effectively with colleagues across significant geographic distances. Agile Six, though, exceeded Luo’s expectations.
“Outside of the folks we work with daily, we are also paired to chat with Sixers on other teams to ensure we can meet and learn from those further afield and from different disciplines,” he said.
From the first day, Luo said, his onboarding experience was “wonderful and tailored.” The focus on personal connection began by working alongside a buddy to ensure he could hit the ground running. He soon found that that level of personal support extended across the team.
“I was then introduced to a whole team of approachable support staff to make sure that all my questions, both technical and organizational, are answered promptly,” he said.
This deliberate effort ensures that employees have the opportunity to engage with and learn from colleagues across various disciplines, fostering a sense of unity despite the physical divide.
“I have never felt isolated even if I am working from home,” Luo said.
“I have never felt isolated even if I am working from home.”
The emphasis on both professional and personal connections helps build a holistic community that transcends the boundaries of traditional office spaces. In the company’s all hands meetings, Sixers highlight not only the team’s technical achievements but also the personal contributions their colleagues bring to the team — a practice that not only reinforces a culture of appreciation but also strengthens the interpersonal bonds that are often challenging to build in remote work settings.
The Agile Six approach serves as a testament to the transformative power of intentional community building in creating a thriving remote work culture. The company’s proactive measures to connect employees, both within and outside their immediate teams, showcase a dedication to fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie in a remote work landscape.
Built In sat down with Luo to learn more about his experience joining Agile Six and what he looks forward to in the year ahead.
What was the highlight of the onboarding process for you?
The highlight of the onboarding process has been my personal chat with Founder and CEO Robert Rasmussen. During a small group discussion with the new hires, he listened to each of our personal journeys and spoke about his vision of how our diverse experiences and backgrounds contribute to our holistic work culture and the continued technical success of the company.
“Our diverse experiences and backgrounds contribute to our holistic work culture and the continued technical success of the company.”
When did you know you made the right choice in joining Agile Six?
My eureka moment was when I found out why so many of my coworkers are so passionate about the work they do. At Agile Six, many teams work on projects for the Department of Veteran Affairs, and I learned through our social events that many of the developers are also veterans themselves. It suddenly clicked that they were able to stay driven every day to do their best work because they understand better than anyone the challenges veterans face and that their work directly impacts the lives of veterans like themselves. Working with such motivated, purpose-driven engineers has been a rewarding experience and helps me focus on building the best services for our veterans.
What are you most excited to accomplish over the next quarter or year?
Despite starting relatively recently, I am grateful to have been entrusted with defining the 2024 key objectives and coming up with the implementation plans for my team. This has been a fantastic learning experience for me to take a more leadership-focused role along with developing a more nuanced understanding of leading-industry practices.
Looking forward, I hope to develop a broader understanding of the VA ecosystem. While my experience so far has been in back-end development and QA, I’m looking forward to working more closely with experts in other disciplines including DevOps, front-end development, UX and design.
What aspect of your professional growth are you most excited to evolve?
As I grow with the company, I hope my experiences will help me become a better leader. While the VA project I have worked on has been highly impactful and purpose-driven, I hope to develop the necessary expertise to determine new areas for improvement and skills to bring those changes to fruition. I am thankful that the leadership at Agile Six is transparent with their high-level strategies and which new projects to pursue. Without a doubt, I am certain that learning from them will help me on this journey.
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