Onboarding at tails.com, from one of our latest 'InDogtees'

It’s never easy getting to grips with a new company in the first few weeks, but it’s undoubtedly that bit harder in the context of remote working.

To try and get our new starters up and running as quickly as possible, tails.com have, for a number of years, run our own induction sessions, aptly named indogtion. But what’s it like to go through this process entirely remotely? We spoke to one of our newest recruits in the PR & Comms team, Dan King, to find out how he’s found the experience.

What’s it been like onboarding remotely at tails.com?

This is actually the second time I’ve onboarded during the national lockdown so I’d say I’ve become a bit of a pro now at onboarding remotely, but I’ve really been blown away by how good it’s all been. As cliche as it is to say, the people have all been so friendly and welcoming and I could tell from day one that there’s a fantastic culture here. Receiving a pack of welcome goodies, like a tails.com hoodie and notepad, were really nice personal touches that, straight away, make you feel like one of the pack and any anxieties I felt before starting had completely disappeared within a few hours of my first day.

How did you find your indogtion?

From experience, I know it can be really tricky trying to navigate your way through the first few weeks at a new company from home, but the structure of the indogtion process has been ideal for getting up to speed on all things tails.com. In total, there were 18 sessions spread across a week and a half, ranging from the evolution of the business and our company ambitions, to our supply chain and the manufacture and distribution of our products. It sounds like a lot of information, and at times it can be, but the interactivity of the sessions and the ability to ask questions as we went was really useful for consolidating information, keeping the sessions interesting and avoiding overload.

What were your main takeaways?

Joining a new business, you don’t often hear a huge amount about where it all started so I really enjoyed hearing about origins of tails.com - going from extremely humble beginnings in Kingston to the international business it has since grown into. The session we had from our Head Vet on all things dogs was also a real eye opener, highlighting some of the key issues with regards to dog breeding and nutrition that really reinforce our purpose as a business, which is to improve the lives of dogs and their owners and change the world of pet food for good.

Was there anything missing?

I was asked if I could use one word to describe the indogtion, what would it be, and my answer was comprehensive. You get the chance to meet people from all across the business, including our newest site in Amstelveen, Netherlands, so it’s really thorough and full of useful insight. Unfortunately, because of current restrictions, it wasn’t possible to have our factory tour so that is definitely something to still look forward to and it’s also really encouraging to know that this isn’t strictly speaking the end of the indogtion, as there are more sessions to come in a few months time once we’ve had a chance to get our feet under the table a bit more.

How do you feel now you’ve completed it?

I certainly feel more enthused about the opportunity that I’ve been given by tails.com. There is evidently so much good work happening and already at this early stage, I feel empowered to be a part of something really big. I’ve been set really clear targets for my first quarter and with the insight that I’ve been given into the business from my indogtion, I feel really aligned to the ambitions of the business and feel like it’s given me a really solid foundation to get cracking straight away.