Starting a new job without having been at your workplace can be quite strange, especially if you are also new to the Netherlands. That is why DPO employees Willem van Hoorn and Femke Verheggen, together with Lieke Thijssen of the CEC, thought that there should be an alternative for the physical welcome days at these times of corona. The MS Teams alternative soon made its way. An online place where you can find all kinds of practical information about the university, its communities and about Eindhoven and the Netherlands. You can also ask your questions and chat with other new employees. And something extra that normally works a little differently: there is a Q&A with the Executive Board. Sessions are planned for this in mid-June and early July, and new employees will automatically get an invitation to participate.

"The university has three goals for these welcome days," Van Hoorn says. "Making people feel welcome, giving practical information and helping them to build their network." Verheggen adds: “We want to welcome people with open arms. Letting them know we really understand that they have a special start at the moment. We hope that this online welcoming moment is a first start in building a network within TU/e.”

The welcome days mentioned in this article are TU/e-general. Many departments and services also have their own activities. “The days are always in English because Dutch and international employees are mixed. And that will remain the case in the online version,” Van Hoorn says. Why it’s an advantage that the welcome day is in MS Teams? "Because employees can immediately become familiar with that system, if they were not already.”