The announcement of the lockdown rather shook up our plans for welcoming several new arrivals on board. One thing was clear from the start: neither their employment nor their start dates were in any question. The keys to success: organisation, adaptability and flexibility.

 

A somewhat unusual start

Postponing or even cancelling the new contracts was never an option – either for the company itself, which was relying on these new talents, or the employees themselves, who had in some cases already left their previous jobs. It was a bold decision for Stormshield to make; and most importantly, an initial declaration of trust. “I was worried whether my appointment would go ahead during this period of lockdown. But when it was confirmed that the job itself was in no way in question, I was completely reassured,” says Maxime Riche, our new logistics manager, who joined in early April.

Hired… but not yet resourced! The next step was to provide the necessary equipment to these new staff members so that they could get started remotely. “Ten days before my start date, my business PC and phone were delivered directly to my home. The evening before my first day, I had a telephone meeting with the IT teams to get everything configured and logged in. On the big day, I was ready to go!”, explains Manuel Jordan, our new Product Marketing Manager.

 

For Quentin Leroy, who started in mid-April as a new application support technician, the setup process was different. “I made a trip into the office in person for my first morning, because my computer was ready on site. We complied with physical separation measures, and I was introduced to my new manager from a safe distance. And it was the same story when I met the few other people on the premises that morning. In particular, I was able to meet my ‘Storm-bro’ [company mentor – Ed.], an IT co-worker who supplied me with my work equipment, and the Director of Human Resources. And then, after half a day, it was over to teleworking!”

 

The role of mentors

This remote onboarding experience meant that mentors’ roles were very much at the forefront during the integration phase. “On the second day, I had my first virtual meeting with my mentor – a member of the Training team, who scheduled meetings with various departments so I could get to know more about the business. I’m also having daily update sessions with my manager. My manager’s boss has also been heavily involved in my integration! He has shown his interest in me and taken me under his wing,” Maxime confirms.

Even remotely, Manuel immediately felt welcomed and supported: “It was easy for me to identify my main contacts and the various teams. Through the integration process, I have a ‘Storm-sister’ who has introduced me remotely to various colleagues. I haven’t felt left out, thanks in particular to the Product Management team’s virtual café sessions every morning at 9am. It’s been a great way to get to know the new faces and discover current topics. I’m also having a daily update with my manager, and I’m using the corporate social network to keep abreast of the company’s news. I’ve even already had some slightly higher-level meetings, with an introduction to Stormshield’s new strategy from the Marketing Director.”

 

The first work assignments

For all three staff, the next stage is an integration process punctuated by video meetings with managers, HR and co-workers they will be working alongside. And having got up to speed, the first tasks beckon! “My first assignment is to create a wiki for the application support knowledge base. Things may be moving more slowly, but they are moving!”, Quentin assures us.

Meanwhile, Maxime has handled his first receipt of boxes for our SNS solution from our supplier. It was a sizeable order of more than 1,400 units!

Manuel, for his part, is following Stormshield CSNA training to gain familiarity with our products and working practices. “I’m taking advantage of the lockdown to do as much learning as I can. Because I come from a different sector, I’m having to learn about the product and network-related concepts.”

But all three have one thing in common: an itching desire to get into the office, croissants in hand, to get to meet their co-workers “for real” over breakfast!