New Hire Guide

We’re excited to have you join Cadence OneFive. This guide will help you understand what to expect during your first six months and how we’ll support you in finding your place on the team.

What Makes Onboarding at Cadence OneFive Different

We’re a fully remote, horizontal organization, which means you’ll have significant autonomy in how you work. Instead of a traditional boss, you’ll work as a “manager-of-one”—autonomous in your execution while actively coordinating with and supporting your teammates.

Your first six months is a period of mutual discovery. We’re learning how you work best and where you’ll make the greatest impact. You’re learning whether our culture, mission, and way of working energizes you. Throughout this time, we’ll provide structured support to help you succeed.

What You Can Expect From Us

Respect and transparency: We’ll treat you as a capable adult and give you honest, timely feedback about how things are going.

Regular check-ins: You’ll have weekly check-ins for the first 4-6 weeks, then monthly 360 feedback sessions throughout your first six months. These aren’t evaluations—they’re collaborative conversations to help you course-correct and succeed.

An onboarding guide: Someone outside your immediate work group who will meet with you weekly, help you navigate the organization, and support your integration into our horizontal practices.

The option to opt out: If you decide Cadence OneFive isn’t the right fit, you can leave with no hard feelings. We’ll work together on a mutually agreeable transition period and provide support as you transition out.

What We Hope to See From You

Early contributions: Even small wins matter. From your first week, we hope you’ll look for ways to help—updating documentation, fixing a bug, or sharing insights from your fresh perspective.

Working in the open: In our remote culture, visibility matters. Share your work, ask questions publicly, contribute to discussions. Don’t be the audience—be part of the show.

Proactive communication: If you’re feeling confused or stuck, speak up early. The sooner we know, the sooner we can help.

Self-direction: You’ll have support, but you’re also expected to take initiative in defining your work plan, seeking out context, and finding ways to contribute to team goals.

Signs Things Are Going Well

When onboarding is working, people working with you notice that you are:

Making helpful contributions from early on
Asking insightful questions that show you’ve done your homework on our mission and challenges
Contributing to our shared knowledge through documentation and thoughtful participation
Taking ownership of your work while actively collaborating with teammates
Beginning to make proposals and engage in our consent-based decision making

When to Raise Concerns

Sometimes onboarding doesn’t feel right. You might notice:

Your contributions aren’t landing with the team the way you expected
You’re waiting for direction instead of finding your own path forward
You’re unclear where you fit or how to plug in effectively
You’re frustrated but feel stuck about how to improve things

If any of this resonates, please speak up early. The sooner you raise concerns with your onboarding guide, the sooner we can address them together. Confusion caught early rarely becomes a bigger problem.

Your Onboarding Support Team

Your Onboarding Guide will meet with you throughout your onboarding. They’re intentionally someone from outside your immediate work group so you can build relationships across the organization and get broader context about how we work. Think of these meetings as a gift of time and attention—make the most of them. Your guide will help you navigate the 360 process, provide context on horizontal practices, and be your first point of contact when you need help.

Your Hiring Manager led the recruitment process for your role and may be involved in your early onboarding, but they’re not your traditional “boss.”

Your Peers and Senior Team Members work with you day-to-day. They have their own goals and projects, and they need your collaboration to succeed. They’re also here to help you learn and integrate.

You are ultimately responsible for your own success. Everyone else is a resource to help you find your place and do your best work at Cadence OneFive.

How Feedback Works During Onboarding

360 Reviews: Our Company-Wide Feedback Practice

360 reviews are how everyone at Cadence OneFive gets feedback and refines their work plans—it’s an ongoing practice for all team members, not just new hires. The process is collaborative, not evaluative. You share your work plan, stakeholders provide input, and you meet to discuss progress and support needed.

For new hires, 360s happen on an accelerated schedule:

Weekly mini-360s (first 4-6 weeks): Brief feedback sessions with your onboarding guide and key stakeholders covering:

What went well this week
How can we make next week better

Monthly 360 reviews (months 2-6): More structured 45-minute sessions focused on:

What wins have you delivered? How have your contributions helped the team?
Are your deliverables and milestones on track?
Does your understanding of your role match your stakeholders’ understanding?
Are you developing autonomy while actively collaborating with teammates?
How are you positioned to succeed in the next period?
What support do you need from the team?

The Double Opt-In: “Let’s Keep Dating”

Separate from the 360 feedback process, you and the company both confirm you want to continue working together. Think of it as mutual dating confirmation.

Timeline:

Weekly for the first 4-6 weeks
Monthly after that, up to 6 months

How it works: Your stakeholders meet to decide if they want to continue. You’re asked if you want to continue. When things are going well, this is a quick, low-key confirmation—everyone’s excited to keep going.

If you opt out: No hard feelings. We’ll work together on a mutually agreeable transition period and provide support as you move on.

If the company has concerns: Your onboarding guide will let you know before the opt-in so there are no surprises. We’ll discuss what’s not working and what needs to improve, or whether it’s better to part ways respectfully. Our goal is always to help you succeed.

Your Onboarding Timeline

By the end of your six-month onboarding, you should:

Deeply understand our vision, mission, product, business model, and strategic priorities
Have made concrete, visible contributions to the company’s success
Feel confident and energized working in our remote, horizontal organization

Make your first contribution (Week 1)

You’ll naturally be in learning mode, but we encourage you to look for an early win—even something small. Update documentation, share a fresh perspective, fix a bug. The goal is integration, not perfection.

Activities:

Get set up on your tech stack
Write your personal README and introduce yourself to the team
Meet your onboarding guide and closest peers
Explore the handbook to understand our culture and practices

Draft your work plan (up to 30 days)

You’ll be balancing two things: learning deeply about our business and finding ways to become helpful to the team. By the end of your first month, you should have a draft work plan that articulates how you’ll contribute.

Your work plan should answer:

How do you define success in your role, and how will you measure it?
How does your work connect to the company’s quarterly goals?
What support do you need from teammates to succeed?
How will your work help others on the team?

Activities:

Schedule brief 1:1s to understand what everyone does
Understand your role and what you have been hired to do
Use our product and learn about our customers and competitive landscape
Review company-wide goals and other team members’ work plans
Share your draft work plan early with your onboarding guide and stakeholders for feedback

Take ownership (up to 60 days)

Your work plan has been through a couple of feedback cycles, and now you’re driving collaboration around your goals and projects. You’re comfortable speaking up, asking for what you need, and actively contributing to team discussions.

By your 60-day 360:

You can clearly articulate wins you’ve delivered
Your work plan shows clear understanding of strategic priorities
Stakeholders understand your role and how you’re contributing

Operate autonomously as a Manager of One (up to 90 days)

By this point, the fit should be clear. Ideally, you’re thriving— autonomous in executing your work while actively coordinating with and supporting your teammates. The training wheels are off.

After 6 Months

Once you’ve successfully completed onboarding, you’ll become eligible for post-probationary benefits. If your offer included equity compensation, you’ll receive your option or stock grant agreements.

Our six-month onboarding period gives both you and the company time to ensure the fit is right. If at any monthly 360 it becomes clear the fit isn’t working despite our best efforts, we’ll make a transition plan together that respects your career and our mutual needs.