At Booking Experts, we believe growth is not only about what you learn yourself, but also about what you pass on to others. Our buddy program plays an important role in that. It not only helps new colleagues get a good start within the company, but also gives buddies the chance to grow and make a real contribution to guiding new colleagues and the growth of our organisation.

Recently, we reached an important milestone: the first group of 16 buddies from different teams successfully completed the training program. During this program, they explored topics like having conversations, time management, giving constructive feedback, sharing company culture, prioritising and setting boundaries.

In this blog, we take you through the stories of different duos — a buddy and a new colleague — and how they work together on growth and a strong start at BEX.

Booking Boosters – Lotte & Femke

Within the Online Marketing team Booking Boosters, Lotte has been a buddy to several new colleagues, including Femke.

For Lotte (Online Marketer) that mainly means making sure a new colleague feels comfortable from day one and is well supported. She knows from experience how exciting the first day can be, especially for junior colleagues starting their first full-time job. 

What motivated Lotte to become a buddy?

For Lotte, the motivation comes from her passion for helping others grow. “I’ve always liked supporting colleagues and helping them get started, for example by giving trainings. When I started here myself, I realised how important a good first impression is. I wanted to do that for others too.”

She also believes onboarding should stay simple: a good start without too many expectations, where you quickly pick up your own tasks and feel part of the team.

What did the buddy program give Lotte?

What Lotte likes most about the buddy program is the mix of growth, for both the new colleague and herself. “You see someone develop, but you grow as well. I’ve learned a lot about communication, leadership and prioritising.''

She also discovered something about herself. “I realised I really enjoy helping someone learn. I didn’t think leadership would suit me, but being a buddy showed me I actually get a lot of energy from it.”

For Lotte, that’s exactly why she would recommend becoming a buddy. “It’s not only useful for yourself, but also for the team and the company. It gives you the chance to share your knowledge and grow at the same time.”

How did Femke experience her onboarding?

Femke (Online Marketer), experienced her onboarding as very positive. The open culture at BEX helped her feel welcome quickly and easily connect with colleagues. From day one, she had Lotte as her main point of contact, which made asking questions much easier.

What made the collaboration with her buddy so helpful?

“Having a buddy makes it much easier to ask questions,” she says. It also gave her structure: “At the beginning, Lotte explained things to me and then I could directly apply them in my tasks. That helps you learn fast and become independent quite quickly.”

Knowing there was always someone to fall back on also gave her confidence in her first weeks.

What did Femke learn in her first period?

In her first months, Femke learned a lot about Meta Advertising, content creation and SEO. Thanks to a mix of learning in our own Learning Management System StudyTube, brainstorm sessions with colleagues and knowledge sessions, she was able to grow quickly and take responsibility in her work.

What would she tell new colleagues?

“It’s less scary than you think. It’s actually a really nice period where you learn a lot and get to know everyone.”

People & Organisation – Cem & Estelle

Within the People & Organisation team, Cem (HR Specialist) and Estelle (Corporate Recruiter) formed a buddy duo together.

What motivated Cem to become a buddy?

Cem’s motivation comes from his enthusiasm for guiding and onboarding new colleagues. “I’ve always liked helping and onboarding new colleagues.”

For him, the buddy program is mainly about that first experience. He didn’t just want to help Estelle with her work, but also make sure she felt she had made the right choice. “I wanted Estelle to feel she had made the right choice joining us and help her get a good start.” 

What makes the buddy program valuable according to Cem?

Cem sees the role of a buddy as more than just onboarding. “You’re also a kind of ambassador for BEX. It would be a shame if someone leaves early because they don’t feel connected. With the buddy program, you learn how to truly give your future teammate the BEXperience 😉 we want everyone to have.

How did Estelle experience her start?

Estelle immediately felt a good connection. “From day one, it felt like coming home in a team that speaks the same language.”

That connection helped her find her place quickly. Cem played an important role in that. “Those 1-on-1 moments were the most valuable for me. You just have a fixed moment to talk, ask questions and check if you’re on the right track.”

What she also appreciated was the freedom she got to shape her role. That mix of trust and responsibility helped her grow quickly. She soon started working independently and making her own decisions.

How does she see growth at BEX?

Estelle also sees a lot of focus on growth at BEX. For her, it’s all about learning, trying new things and growing in your own way.

Product – Tom & Marijke

Within the Product team, Tom and Marijke form a buddy duo. For Tom (Product Manager), being a buddy is mainly an opportunity to share product knowledge and help someone truly become part of the team..

What motivated Tom to become a buddy?

For Tom, the motivation is both personal and related to the content of the job. “I like meeting new people and I’m passionate about our product, so I enjoy sharing that knowledge.”

What did he want to achieve as Marijke’s buddy?

For Tom, it’s not only about onboarding, but about helping someone get a strong start in a growing team.“Booking Experts is growing, the Product team is growing and we can’t do that alone. Everyone brings their own strengths and interests.”

In guiding Marijke (Product Manager), he therefore focused on a few clear goals:

What did Tom learn from the buddy program?

For Tom, the buddy program was very valuable. “You suddenly look at your own product with fresh eyes when someone new joins and asks lots of questions. That keeps you sharp.”

He also learned from Marijke’s experience in other product roles. That brought new perspectives and made him rethink parts of the process. “It makes you stop and think about how you’re doing things, and whether it could be done better.”

Why would he recommend being a buddy?

Tom: “It’s really fun to guide someone in a new phase. You see them grow, and you help them settle in. And you feel proud when someone is already acting like part of the team after just a few weeks.”

How did Marijke experience her start?

Marijke looks back positively on her start at BEX and the Product team. “Really nice and well prepared. A full but good schedule and close collaboration made me feel at home quickly.”

The Meet the Team sessions also helped. In these sessions, every new colleague gets a simple and accessible introduction to all teams at BEX, which gives a clear overview of how everything works together.

She also already had a good impression through LifeAtBEX, our social account where you get a behind-the-scenes look at Booking Experts. That helped her settle in faster.

How was the collaboration with Tom?

In the first period, Marijke worked closely with Tom to learn the product. This included deep dives into modules, self-study via our LMS StudyTube and joining the PMS core team.

She also had space to learn about the organisation through 1-on-1 conversations and joining sessions with different teams. For Marijke, the value was in the mix of trust and freedom. “From the start, I felt supported at BEX. There was always room to ask questions, but also enough trust to try things myself first.”

Where did she grow the most?

Marijke quickly grew in product knowledge and how things work at BEX. This gave her more confidence to contribute independently to improving the PMS system.

What would she tell new colleagues?

“Feel free to be yourself at BEX, so you can contribute in your own way to improving our platform.”

Growing together

These stories show what Spring Into Action means in practice: not only taking steps yourself, but also helping others move forward. By sharing knowledge and working together, we make sure people at BEX get a strong start and keep growing.

The buddy program plays an important role in that. It helps new colleagues get up to speed quickly and gives buddies the chance to grow as mentors, coaches, and ambassadors.

And that’s how we keep moving. From day one and beyond. 🚀