First week in new WFH job has been weird
Discussion
Hey,
I just started as a Senior Security Consultant, specialising in cyber incident response + forensics. I joined this new company just a week ago, it is a fully WFH position, with a global company with around 2000 employees.
It's very early days obviously but just wanted to share a few odd things:
1) I emailed my boss (to her non-work email account which was the point of contact) a day before I was due to start just saying that I had not yet received my laptop but it was due on the Monday. She replied saying she no longer works there but to contact XYZ person. She had been there 2.5 years and interviewed me on both occasions.
2) The onboarding process has been abysmal. I'm doing some stupid online video courses which are extremely repetitive. There is no "onboard buddy" which it did mention in the emails a few weeks ago would be sorted.
3) I am now the only UK based person on my team. They are recruiting for my manager's job but for now it is just me. There are 3 colleagues in the US who I am teamed with... and several across Australia, Philipines and Singapore too. It's likely that this manager - whoever they pick - won't join until May/June as they're still interviewing.
4) I had thought with it being a remote company, there would be a real emphasis on engagement, communication, online chat. But there is nothing. Well, there are teams groups for "Share your pet pictures" and "Exercise" and "wellbeing" but many haven't been used since 2021.
As I said, very early days and I'm not unhappy or concerned... more just a bit bemused by it.
Has anyone else encountered something like this? Maybe it is just standard in this kind of setup, or maybe my expectations were just a bit off?
I just started as a Senior Security Consultant, specialising in cyber incident response + forensics. I joined this new company just a week ago, it is a fully WFH position, with a global company with around 2000 employees.
It's very early days obviously but just wanted to share a few odd things:
1) I emailed my boss (to her non-work email account which was the point of contact) a day before I was due to start just saying that I had not yet received my laptop but it was due on the Monday. She replied saying she no longer works there but to contact XYZ person. She had been there 2.5 years and interviewed me on both occasions.
2) The onboarding process has been abysmal. I'm doing some stupid online video courses which are extremely repetitive. There is no "onboard buddy" which it did mention in the emails a few weeks ago would be sorted.
3) I am now the only UK based person on my team. They are recruiting for my manager's job but for now it is just me. There are 3 colleagues in the US who I am teamed with... and several across Australia, Philipines and Singapore too. It's likely that this manager - whoever they pick - won't join until May/June as they're still interviewing.
4) I had thought with it being a remote company, there would be a real emphasis on engagement, communication, online chat. But there is nothing. Well, there are teams groups for "Share your pet pictures" and "Exercise" and "wellbeing" but many haven't been used since 2021.
As I said, very early days and I'm not unhappy or concerned... more just a bit bemused by it.
Has anyone else encountered something like this? Maybe it is just standard in this kind of setup, or maybe my expectations were just a bit off?
Nothing useful to add, just reminds me of this old internet classic... 
https://sites.google.com/site/forgottenemployee/
https://sites.google.com/site/forgottenemployee/
I would suggest that it's probably not unusual
I joined my company nearly 2.5 years ago fully remote and we continue in a fully remote capacity in the vast majority of cases, so I think we're pretty good at it. Most new joiners will join the Wellbeing Wednesday and Friday team call in their first week to meet people outside their team, and also have 1-2-1 sessions with all our senior management team as part of their induction
As an example - when I had been with the company for several months, I got a call out of the blue from our CEO. Just checking how I was getting on as we hadn't spoken for a while
We're only around 200 people, but the company just gets it. Many still don't!
I joined my company nearly 2.5 years ago fully remote and we continue in a fully remote capacity in the vast majority of cases, so I think we're pretty good at it. Most new joiners will join the Wellbeing Wednesday and Friday team call in their first week to meet people outside their team, and also have 1-2-1 sessions with all our senior management team as part of their induction
As an example - when I had been with the company for several months, I got a call out of the blue from our CEO. Just checking how I was getting on as we hadn't spoken for a while
We're only around 200 people, but the company just gets it. Many still don't!
Not too unusual especially if the company is still new to fully remote workers.
I would expect communications to improve in a week or two.
Being fully remote you'll need to ensure you have direct contact with your line manager, this is crucial.
Does this company have a UK presence? Would help to establish point of contacts, especially for IT related stuff.
I would expect communications to improve in a week or two.
Being fully remote you'll need to ensure you have direct contact with your line manager, this is crucial.
Does this company have a UK presence? Would help to establish point of contacts, especially for IT related stuff.
Zetec-S said:
Nothing useful to add, just reminds me of this old internet classic...
https://sites.google.com/site/forgottenemployee/
Absolute classic! So good.https://sites.google.com/site/forgottenemployee/
Thanks everyone, some useful replies and I have bookmarked "the forgotten employee" to read later.
It's not been all bad. There was a HR call on the first day to show me and one other some systems. I also had a teams message + call from the head of another department who is UK based to say hello and we had a nice chat.
What has been odd is because it's a fully remote company, I have no real grasp on individuals. For example, in an office you'd see a part of the floor for Sales, or a part of the floor for Finance.
I'm enjoying the first parts of the day as the US don't come online till about 2pm so most of the time I am left undisturbed.
Will see how week 2/3 goes
It's not been all bad. There was a HR call on the first day to show me and one other some systems. I also had a teams message + call from the head of another department who is UK based to say hello and we had a nice chat.
What has been odd is because it's a fully remote company, I have no real grasp on individuals. For example, in an office you'd see a part of the floor for Sales, or a part of the floor for Finance.
I'm enjoying the first parts of the day as the US don't come online till about 2pm so most of the time I am left undisturbed.
Will see how week 2/3 goes
Zetec-S said:
Nothing useful to add, just reminds me of this old internet classic...
https://sites.google.com/site/forgottenemployee/
In his autobiography, 'Not much of an Engineer', Sir Stanley Hooker related the tale that when he started with Rolls Royce, they basically put him in an office of his own and forgot about him.https://sites.google.com/site/forgottenemployee/
Out of sheer boredom, he eventually occupied himself doing the calculations that would later prove essential to supercharging the Merlin aero engine and the development of compressors for early jet engines.
CoolHands said:
Play your cards right you’ll be the manager of the uk division in no time. Your future earning potential is going to skyrocket!
Thanks m8. I did hint about the manager job but they want someone with more private sector experience. Thankfully my industry is very busy at the moment so there are lots of options if I wanted to move on or up sociopath said:
Sounds perfect. Plenty of skiving opportunities and you can have a good w
k whilst you're being paid.
I'm sure it will change, but enjoy it while you can - perhaps not the wking.
+1 (enjoy it while you can not the emphasis on extra curricular activities)k whilst you're being paid.I'm sure it will change, but enjoy it while you can - perhaps not the w
king. Alternative is a micro managing narcissistic t@@t who will not leave you alone. I know which I would prefer.
When I first started working I was dumped on a dusty desk with a computer that did not work and left to it. At the time I was mortified and almost walked out. Looking back it was heaven
Unfortunately not an unusual situation, particularly when in a tech role.
I had a similar experience when I joined where I am almost 2 years back, since then I started the onboarding program for the team I am part of as it was a hopeless experience for me.
Onboarding now consists of a training plan covering 60 hours of 1-2-1 training run by the onboarding buddy, covering everything from the usual HR type stuff for time sheets, holiday request system, etc and then 55 hours of training on all technology in use, SDLC for all products, Ci\Cd processes, change control etc all of which is owned and managed by my team.
I had a similar experience when I joined where I am almost 2 years back, since then I started the onboarding program for the team I am part of as it was a hopeless experience for me.
Onboarding now consists of a training plan covering 60 hours of 1-2-1 training run by the onboarding buddy, covering everything from the usual HR type stuff for time sheets, holiday request system, etc and then 55 hours of training on all technology in use, SDLC for all products, Ci\Cd processes, change control etc all of which is owned and managed by my team.
Ive been in a WFH job since October and still not got everything sorted.
Boss moving on was a bit Out of order on you and a concern, I'd have the decency to contact you as you dont just work for the company to me, you also work for a manager.
Maybe they had non controversial issues (Illness etc).
Welcome to the jungle of a new job where you can't detect what's going on like in the office.
Boss moving on was a bit Out of order on you and a concern, I'd have the decency to contact you as you dont just work for the company to me, you also work for a manager.
Maybe they had non controversial issues (Illness etc).
Welcome to the jungle of a new job where you can't detect what's going on like in the office.
I've been working from home FT for the past 3 years, initially for a UK based firm, then contracting for a year and now a US based firm.
Can be a challenge if the onboarding process is poor, and working with people from all over the globe is interesting at times due to the time differences, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Get to spend time with the family, regular lunches with my wife, walk the dogs multiple times a day, practice guitar whilst muted on dull Teams calls etc.
Never been happier in my 30 year career, and the acceptance of remote working has opened up far more job opportunities than were previously possible. The only positive thing to come out of the pandemic IMHO.
My calendar for the week (redacted).
Can be a challenge if the onboarding process is poor, and working with people from all over the globe is interesting at times due to the time differences, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Get to spend time with the family, regular lunches with my wife, walk the dogs multiple times a day, practice guitar whilst muted on dull Teams calls etc.
Never been happier in my 30 year career, and the acceptance of remote working has opened up far more job opportunities than were previously possible. The only positive thing to come out of the pandemic IMHO.
redrabbit29 said:
I'm enjoying the days as all the US guys aren't online until 2pm and rarely bother me other than the odd teams message just about general stuff.
Yep. It's great to actually have some time in the day without constant calls where you can actually get stuff done. 5 blissful hours of peace. My calendar for the week (redacted).
Edited by SWoll on Wednesday 15th February 20:35
2gins said:
I'd be applying for the manager's job and simultaneously looking elsewhere. Screams bad company with rats jumping ship.
This is just the way the IT industry is at the minute, with Cyber being a massive growth area. People are getting headhunted left, right and center with the right skills, I moved jobs in January after 12 months elsewhere for a pay increase of 125% and I'm still getting numerous approaches for new roles every week. Never seen it as crazy as it is at the moment in 30 years in the industry. Remote working has seriously disrupted things.Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff