Buddy Programs Beat Onboarding Docs Every Time

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When a new starter begins on Day One, we give them a warm Ascendia welcome and walk them through how we support them to succeed in their new role.

Then we re-introduce them to you — their new employer — so your onboarding can begin seamlessly.

But this is where most offshore staffing providers stop. We don’t.

Weekly 360° Check-Ins That Actually Surface the Truth

We establish a weekly operating rhythm with both you and your new starter to gather honest, unfiltered feedback about how onboarding is going.

The goal is simple: Understand what’s working, what’s not, and what needs adjusting — early.

Filipinos are incredibly respectful and often hesitant to give constructive feedback to a new employer. So we create a safe space where they feel comfortable being open about:

  • whether onboarding is too fast or too slow
  • what they enjoyed
  • where they’re confused
  • what support they need

At the same time, we gather your feedback on how they’re progressing.

If there’s a gap — on either side — we step in with practical advice to close it quickly.

Why Buddy Programs Outperform Onboarding Documents

One of the most effective things you can do is assign your new starter a local buddy — someone they can message freely, ask “silly” questions, and lean on as they ramp up.

A buddy accelerates confidence, context, and culture far faster than any onboarding document ever will.

Daily EOD Reports for Visibility and Momentum

We also ask new starters to send a short end-of-day (EOD) report outlining:

  • what they planned to achieve
  • what they actually achieved
  • any gaps and how they’re addressing them

This may duplicate your internal reporting, but it gives Ascendia visibility into how onboarding is progressing so we can support both sides proactively.

Graduating to Independence

Once both you and your new starter feel confident working together independently, we retire the EOD reports and cancel the weekly check-ins.

Our goal is to get you to this point as quickly as possible — sometimes in a couple of weeks, sometimes a few more depending on the role and the individual.

After that, you simply call, email, or message us if you need support.

Twice-Yearly Business Reviews

Finally, we conduct a formal Business Review with you twice a year to assess:

  • how your Filipino team is performing
  • what’s working well
  • what needs improvement
  • how we can better support your growth moving forward

This ensures your offshore team continues to evolve with your business — not fall behind it.

David Barlow
David Barlow Co-Founder, CEO

Helped clients build offshore teams over the past 10 years from 1 to 20 employees for over 100 ANZ clients.