A More Active Start: Inside Brocacef’s Onboarding Experience
With around 5,300 people across Brocacef/BENU, there’s a lot for a new hire to take in. Seppo helps turn onboarding from something to sit through into something to take part in.
Miranda van Blitterswijk & Estatira van den Berg, Brocacef/BENU
Corporate Recruiters at Brocacef
A More Active Start: Inside Brocacef’s Onboarding Experience
Brocacef/BENU’s onboarding day used to follow much the same rhythm all day: new hires listened, first to presentations in the morning and then during a tour of the headquarters in the afternoon. It was a lot to take in. The team realised they needed something more activating to lighten the load and get people participating.
With around 5,300 employees, Brocacef Group is one of the major players in pharmaceutical healthcare in the Netherlands. Through its two brands, Brocacef and BENU, the organisation spans the pharmaceutical healthcare chain: Brocacef supports healthcare professionals, while BENU delivers pharmaceutical care to consumers through a nationwide network of pharmacies.
That also means new employees join a large organisation made up of many different teams, locations and roles. Brocacef/BENU brings new permanent hires from across the country together for a dedicated onboarding day to get to know the organisation, its culture and the people behind it, and to start building connections from day one.
From listening to exploring
The morning programme introduces new employees to Brocacef/BENU through presentations, information and opportunities to get to know one another. Previously, the afternoon included an exploratory tour of the company.
The tour gave new hires a chance to see more of the organisation, but the team wanted the afternoon to involve more than taking in information.
For Miranda van Blitterswijk and Estatira van den Berg, Corporate Recruiters at Brocacef, creating a better balance between listening and participating was important.
“Because the morning programme contains a lot of information and presentations, we wanted to develop an interactive component for the afternoon. This way, there is a good balance between listening, learning and actively participating,” Miranda and Estatira explain.
With Seppo, the afternoon has become a gamified, interactive experience. Instead of simply hearing more about the organisation, new employees get up, explore the headquarters and discover Brocacef/BENU for themselves.
Turning headquarters into an interactive onboarding experience
During the Seppo game, participants explore Brocacef’s headquarters in groups. They visit different departments and spaces, completing assignments and game activities along the way.
The experience picks up where the morning leaves off. Topics introduced earlier in presentations return in the game, but this time participants work with them actively. This helps reinforce what they have already learned while giving them a chance to see the organisation behind the information.
That matters in a large organisation where employees may work with colleagues from different departments without necessarily knowing exactly what their roles and responsibilities are.
“Because of the interactive nature of the game, participants discover which departments there are, who works there and what contribution they make to the organisation,” Miranda and Estatira say.
As a result, the introduction goes beyond organisational charts and presentations. New employees leave with a clearer picture of how the different parts of Brocacef/BENU work together, helping them find their way within the organisation more quickly.
Creating connections from day one
Understanding the organisation is only one part of onboarding. For Brocacef/BENU, creating connections between people is equally important.
Gamification also gives people a natural reason to interact. Because the Seppo game is played in groups, participants collaborate as they make their way through the experience, getting to know colleagues from different parts of Brocacef/BENU along the way.
Miranda and Estatira have also seen how the group format gives different personalities room to contribute in their own way. Some participants naturally take the initiative and lead the group, while others bring their own strengths to the shared task.
“The feedback shows that participants are very enthusiastic about the game. They especially appreciate the way in which the game encourages them to connect with colleagues,” Miranda and Estatira say.
Seppo doesn’t replace the more traditional parts of Brocacef/BENU’s onboarding, but builds something more active around them: the morning provides the information and context; the afternoon turns it into an experience.
A first day that sticks
What employees learn isn’t the only thing that matters. Brocacef/BENU also wants to give new colleagues a first-day experience they will actually remember.
“New employees not only learn more about the organisation in a fun way, but also immediately make contact with colleagues. As a result, more connection and engagement are created from the first day,” Miranda and Estatira say.
They describe the experience as creating a “positive and lasting memory” of employees’ introduction to the company, contributing to the warm welcome Brocacef/BENU wants new colleagues to experience from day one.
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About Brocacef
Brocacef Group is a leading pharmaceutical healthcare organisation in the Netherlands. Through Brocacef and BENU, the group provides pharmaceutical products, services and care to healthcare professionals and consumers across the country.