An onboarding buddy is the colleague a new hire can ask the questions they would not ask the manager: where things are, how things are really done, who to talk to. It is a role with a start, a brief and an end, and it is not the manager, not the trainer and not responsible for the hire's performance. The onboarding checklist on this site carries the buddy as a line with a name and a date, free and without an account; the paid product keeps it with the rest of the onboarding record.
What the buddy does
Meets the hire on day one, checks in daily in the first week and weekly after, answers the small questions, introduces people, explains the unwritten parts. A buddy who does that for a month makes the hire productive weeks earlier than a checklist alone.
What the buddy is not
Not the manager, who sets the goals and does the reviews; not the trainer, whose sessions are recorded; not accountable for the hire's work. Saying so in the brief is what keeps the role light enough that good people accept it.
Choosing and briefing
Someone in a similar role who has been there long enough to know how things work and is glad to explain them. Briefed in ten minutes on the start date, the first week, the check-ins and when the role ends; asked at thirty days what the hire struggled with, which feeds the next onboarding.
The record
The buddy's name, the start and end, and the thirty-day note, on the checklist against the hire. HeadcountDesk Pro keeps it; the checklist on this site prints the line. From the vendors' own pricing pages, cited below: Homebase lists its Essentials plan at $30 per location per month billed monthly or $24 billed annually, with unlimited employees, and a Basic plan at $0 for one location with up to 10 employees; BambooHR starts at $10 per employee per month for Core and $17 for Pro; Deputy's Core plan is $6.50 per user per month. HeadcountDesk Pro is $24 per month per location.
Questions people ask about onboarding buddy
Should the buddy be paid extra?
Some employers do; recognising the role is more important than the amount.
What if the hire and the buddy do not get on?
The manager reassigns at the first weekly check-in; the record notes the change.
Is the checklist free?
Yes, without an account.