Getting started at Basecamp can be overwhelming. There are a lot of little details, a number of big tasks, you’re learning a new job and new coworkers, and you’re likely doing all these things while working remotely. Your Basecamp buddy, your Ops buddy, and your manager are all here to help. If you don’t know how to set up your machine (or why you’re setting up something on your machine!), please ask. There is no set time period for most training periods, but most people are up to speed in about 3 months.
Usually when you start a new job in an office, it’s clear who does what. Chris sets up your desk and gives you your new red Swingline stapler. Abbi in HR explains your benefits package. Your cubemate Ilana is right next to you, and she can tell you who to ask about payroll. In a remote company, it’s a little less clear. Even when you know who does what, it’s still nice to have a work buddy to ping when you don’t know where to turn. So we set up a Basecamp Buddy system. When you start, you’ll be assigned a buddy. They’ll introduce themselves, and they’re totally willing to point you in the right direction when you need it. Of course, everyone is available to help, but it’s nice to have a dedicated best work friend.
Your buddy helps you with day-to-day questions you might have, but someone on our Ops team will help you set up all the accounts you need to work at Basecamp. Before you start, Andrea will order you a new laptop with the specs you request and any accessories you need, like an external keyboard, mouse, or monitor. Your manager will set up a Basecamp dedicated to your onboarding called “Welcome, [your name]!”. When you start, you’ll have access to that Basecamp. In it, you’ll see to-dos linking to accounts or services that you need to set up – an external hard drive, 2FA for various accounts, Dropbox, and private wi-fi to name a few. You’ll also see things that your Ops buddy or manager need to set up – Basecamp (obvi), Jabber, GitHub, and Queenbee, among a whole list of other things. Don’t worry if you don’t know what some of these services are. Your Ops buddy or your Basecamp buddy can help you through it.
If you have a specific training schedule or training milestones to complete, that will go into your Welcome Basecamp too.
We have a very stringent and specific security protocol, which we then monitor using Shipshape. Here’s a list of what we require and, just as importantly, why we require it!