My first month at Glean: a journey of learning and growth

Mala joined Glean three weeks ago as an Engineering Manager. Here, she reflects on her journey so far, her gratitude to be part of a dynamic team and clear excitement for what is to come...

Clock 2 min read Calendar Published: 24 May 2024
Author Mala Benn
My first month at Glean: a journey of learning and growth

 

 

A warm welcome

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First and foremost, my onboarding experience was seamless.

My line manager, Gwen Diagram, had prepared an onboarding pack with lots of information and documents to provide context to me for the role as well as a list of goals to work towards in my first three months.

We also had our first 1:1 which followed Lara Hogans’ management method.

Glean also scheduled in person sessions with an Employee Experience Advisor for an intro into Company Policy and IT Support to get set up with kit. Likewise, I was allocated a buddy who I met daily for the first two weeks. We had quick, short meetings to help answer any questions or provide more context.

The whole process has been frictionless.

The modern office space with its huge windows, hotdesks, breakout areas designed for collaboration, onsite wellbeing room, fully stocked fridge and snack cupboard makes for a truly productive space and an attractive prospect to come into the office for, even though Glean have a hybrid first working policy.

An unexpected welcome gift was also a lovely surprise that made me feel welcomed and valued.

Immersed in learning and growth

One of the things that drew me to Glean was the commitment to learning, and to pushing the boundaries of what's possible for overcoming obstacles to learning. The core driver is that by empowering learners with study tools, we can improve their confidence and ability.

Learning is the thread weaved across everything we do. Engineers are given the opportunity to move teams to learn new domains, there’s a learning budget and attendance to conferences is encouraged.

I even managed to attend the All-Day Hey conference in my second week which Glean sponsored.

Setting context

Within my first week, it was refreshing to hear the company vision, mission and values multiple times, and it was clear that it resonated with everyone across the organisation.

I attended the Q2 town-hall on day four, which was a lively and engaging affair, providing the opportunity to participate in a group activity about understanding some of our key personas and generating and sharing ideas to solve company challenges.

It was a great way for me to also use Glean, record the session and take notes to gain a better understanding as to what I would be working on in the next few months.

Not only that, every new starter has a session with the Head of Brand who presents an overview on the brand identity, the history of the brand, positioning and pitch so you’re representing it confidently.

This really helps build a sense of attachment to the product and the Glean brand.

Building relationships

Central to my experience so far has been the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with my colleagues. Across the engineering function, all teams invited me to their morning stand-up in my first week so that they could introduce themselves to me, which was a lovely way of meeting the whole team.

Whether it's brainstorming ideas with our talented engineers, collaborating with our product managers, or solving problems with leadership, I've been inspired by the passion, dedication, and expertise of everyone I've had the privilege of working with.

Looking ahead

As I look ahead to the future, I'm filled with a sense of optimism and excitement for what lies ahead.

The sharing culture of openness and transparency which makes it easy to learn, develop and make a positive impact.

With each day, I’m grateful to be part of this team.

Interested in working for Glean?

At Team Glean, we're always on the lookout for talented people to join us.

To learn more about working with us, and explore our latest opportunities, follow the link below!

Visit our careers page
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