Despite difficult times in the job market, White Space has taken on a batch of new recruits this September. Remote working has added complexity to the induction process, and has the need to socially distance when working in the office. In this blog, members of our team reflect on what we’ve done well, and what’s been difficult, and we get the thoughts of the new joiners on their experiences.

Everyone at White Space has been part of our process of bringing our two new starters into the team. Three of the people who have been key to this give their thoughts:

“I think one of the biggest challenges of on-boarding in a COVID-reality is giving new starters that sense of community that is so special to White Space. Typically we have a very active new joiner week, packed with social activities on and off site for all employees, so that they feel welcomed and comfortable collaborating with everyone. Adjusting the week to be virtual hasn’t been easy, but navigating best practices and making the best of the situation for both us and new joiners has been a bonding experience in itself”

Quinn O’Brien, Managing Analyst

“Setting up and scheduling induction training was particularly important this year given the large scale working from home situation we are still in. Without the usual informal chats on the stairs and coffees together in the kitchen it was more important that we ensured all members of staff delivered some induction training as a way to meet and break the ice with new joiners as well as help them learn the ‘White Space’ way of things as they’ve lost the opportunity to learn from us in the flesh”

Hal Smart, Senior Analyst

“It’s been a challenge, not only to adapt our recruitment process to fit around the various COVID restrictions, but to also ensure that our new joiners really feel like part of the team, especially with home working. While our recruitment process is already complex, we made sure that all the relevant IT was sent out to our new starters, along with personalised gifts, to make things as easy as possible. We also managed to keep our usual process of training sessions, by adapting these in order for them to be done remotely. There were a few hiccups along the way to sort it all out, but overall, the team have all worked together to make everything run smoothly!”

Anna Stoneman, Office Manager

Our new joiners have found it strange not being able to integrate physically with the team, but a structured training plan and quick work has helped them settle in quickly.

“Starting work from hundreds of miles from the White Space Office in my spare room was not how I envisioned starting my first graduate job! Onboarding online has, however, been smoother than I could have imagined, and I have found it far easier than expected to adapt to remote working. Microsoft Teams has been a fantastic way to communicate and has facilitated collaboration with my colleagues. I have been welcomed with a virtual hug into the team and I have been supported (and kept busy!) along the way. While I am excited to get back to an office environment, COVID has clearly led to new perspectives on efficient yet collegiate working across geographies”

Emma Morris, Business Analyst and new joiner

“Initially I thought the first week was going to be really tricky with multiple IT issues and frustrating periods of time where I’d be sat waiting for someone to get back to me before I could do anything useful. However, Teams made the whole process incredibly smooth and everyone was really responsive to us new starters. I thought starting a new job during a pandemic would be somewhat boring because the WFH element would limit what you could do. But my past two weeks have been an absolute whirlwind, jam-packed with on-project training, mentoring, (virtual) social inductions and generally, an amazing introduction to working at White Space. Most days it doesn’t even feel like I’ve started my graduate job during a global pandemic”

Sophia Lapworth, Business Analyst and new joiner

Overall, from our experience, there are four key things to focus on when bringing new staff into the team, especially when you are disparate:

1. Ensure that all staff have IT hardware and software that works for what you do, and constantly review its efficiency for everyone in the team
2. Use software which replicates the high-touch nature of the office environment. For us, Microsoft Teams’ instant chat, calling and group calling features have been great to keep in constant contact
3. Revisit the onboarding training schedule by considering the new workload of new staff. Ensure training is relevant, and truly upskill your staff to perform their role. Giving new staff tasks to take away with training ensures they have valuable work in the early days whilst they are settling in
4. Create a formal pastoral network, and foster a wider, informal caring environment. Regular catch-ups and social events, even if remote, support this kind of atmosphere

We continue to look for passionate, curious, personable and sharp candidates to join our ever-growing team in the heart of Oxford. Applications for Business Analyst and Intern positions will be open on the 1^st October, and we are running a number of events for potential applicants:

• What is strategy consultancy? – Tue 27^th October, 4.30pm
• How to nail a CV & Cover Letter for consultancy applications – Thu 29^th October, 4:30pm
• How to approach a consultancy case study interview – Tue 3^rd November, 4:30pm
• Tips on how to interview remotely – Thu 5^th November, 4:30pm

These will all be held remotely. Visit this page for details on how to join