Ready from Day One: What Your First Day at QbD Group Really Looks Like
Your tools are set up. Your colleagues are expecting you. Your story here starts today.
Starting a new job is exciting. It is also, if we're honest, a little nerve-wracking. You wonder who will greet you, whether your laptop will work, who to ask when you have a question, and whether anyone was genuinely expecting you at all.
At QbD Group, the answer to that last question is simple: yes, absolutely. And Yana and Kimberly from our back office team are the people who make sure of it.
For the two of them, that's exactly what onboarding is about. Not just making sure everything is ready, but making sure people feel seen, valued and genuinely welcome from the very first interaction.
Before day one even begins
A great first day doesn't start when someone walks through the front door.
It starts days earlier.
As soon as a new colleague confirms they'll be joining QbD Group, Yana and Kimberly are already at work behind the scenes. Starter training is shared in advance so new colleagues can get to know the company before their first day. Laptops are configured. Access rights are arranged. The branded QbD Group kit, backpack and small goodies included, is ready to go.
By the time that first morning arrives, everything is taken care of.
The new colleague doesn't see the preparation.
They simply experience a smooth start.
“For me, being ready means that when someone walks through that door, the only thing they need to think about is meeting their new colleagues. Everything else, like the laptop and the kit, is already taken care of. I want them to feel expected. Not just hired, but genuinely waited for.” — Yana Van de Vyver, QbD Group
A familiar face makes all the difference
Starting a new job is exciting.
It can also feel a little intimidating.
That's why many new colleagues already recognise a familiar face when they walk through the door.
The person welcoming them is often someone they first met during the interview process.
Instead of stepping into a room full of strangers, they're greeted by someone who already knows their name, remembers their story and is genuinely happy to see them again.
Sometimes that's all it takes to turn first-day nerves into excitement.
"I always try to welcome them with a big smile and make them feel at ease straight away.” — Yana Van de Vyver, QbD Group
Day one at HQ
When a new starter arrives at QbD Group's headquarters in Belgium, they are not left to find their own way. Yana and Kimberly meet them at the door, hand over their laptop, help them log in, and welcome them with that QbD-branded backpack. They give a tour of the office, make the introductions, and walk them through the practical side of things: the intranet, the tools, and what the rest of the onboarding journey looks like.
By the end of the morning, a new colleague already knows more names than they expected, and their HR Business Partner has already been introduced to guide them through the days ahead.
“The moment someone walks through the door, you can see it in their face — a mix of nerves and excitement. Our job is to turn that into ease as quickly as possible. By the time the morning is done and they've met the team, that nervousness is just gone. That's what we're here for.” — Kimberly Sinnaeve, QbD Group
An HR Business Partner from day one
One of the things that sets QbD Group's onboarding apart is that every new starter is assigned a dedicated HR Business Partner from their very first day. Not after the first month. Not once the paperwork is signed.
That means there is always someone whose job it is to support you as you find your footing. Someone to answer the questions that feel too small to ask your manager. Someone checking in, not checking up.
And of course, Yana and Kimberly stay available too. New colleagues know they can always come back to them with questions, big or small.
“Knowing I had someone I could go to with any question, even the ones that felt too small, made a real difference. It meant I never had to wonder who to ask. That takes away a lot of anxiety in those first weeks.” — Joyce De Boeck, Associate Consultant, QbD Group
More than a checklist
Good onboarding isn't about a configured laptop or a signed document. What makes it different is the personal approach behind every interaction, often starting at the interview, so new colleagues arrive with a sense of trust already in place.
"We want people to feel that we were looking forward to their arrival, and that they're already part of the QbD team from day one." — Yana Van de Vyver, QbD Group
Ask Yana and Kimberly what stays with them most, and they won't mention laptops or access rights. They'll talk about people, like the colleague who still remembered a compliment about her shoes from her interview, months later, simply because it made her feel noticed.
"When someone tells you a few weeks later that their first day was the moment they knew they'd made the right choice, that stays with you. That's why we do it." — Yana Van de Vyver, QbD Group
Because in the end, onboarding isn't about making sure everything works. It's about making sure people feel like they already belong.
Ready to start your own first day?
If you're looking for a place where people know your name before your first day, where the little things matter and where you'll be welcomed from the moment you walk through the door, we'd love to meet you.
