Hello! We could not be more excited to have you at GitLab. This page is here to help walk you through what you can expect before and during your first few weeks as a new team member.
The People Connect team is here to help guide you in your journey here at GitLab. A member of the team will be assigned to your Onboarding Issue, and will be there to provide guidance as you begin onboarding. You can learn more about us below by reading our bios on the team page.
Are you curious about what onboarding looks like here at GitLab? We currently use our own product to facilitate onboarding through issues. If you have never seen a GitLab issue before, take some time to watch the video below to see what you'll be working out of during your onboarding.
After you sign your offer and complete your background check and references, you can expect your onboarding to go like this:
As point 36 on our communication handbook page outlines, we try to avoid using acronyms at GitLab as much as possible however, sometimes we forget. Below you can find common acronyms used here that may help you. If you come across any not in this list during your onboarding, feel empowered to do a merge request to add it below!
Company Wide Acronyms
| Acronym | Word/Saying/Title |
|---|---|
| AMA | Ask Me Anything |
| AR | Access Request |
| DRI | Directly Responsible Individual |
| E-Group | Executive Group |
| EBA | Executive Business Administrator |
| IPO | Initial Public Offering |
| LGTM | Looks good to (me/merge)! |
| KPIs | Key Performance Indicators |
| MECC | Managing so Everyone Can Contribute |
| MR | Merge Request |
| MVC | Minimum Viable Change (not related to Model-View-Controller) |
| OKRs | Objectives & Key Results |
| PTO | Paid Time Off |
| SIRT | Security Incident Response Team |
| TMRG | Team Member Resource Group |
Customer Success Related Acronyms
| Acronym | Word/Saying/Title |
|---|---|
| VSA | Value Stream Assessment |
| L28D | Short form for "Last 28 days". |
Engineering Related Acronyms
| Acronym | Word/Saying/Title |
|---|---|
| MWPS | Merge When Pipeline Succeeds |
People Group Related Acronyms
| Acronym | Word/Saying/Title |
|---|---|
| CES | Candidate Experience Specialist |
| PBP | People Business Partner |
| PC | People Connect |
| TA | Talent Acquisition |
| TR | Total Rewards |
Sales/Sales Related Acronyms
| Acronym | Word/Saying/Title |
|---|---|
| ACV | Annual Contract Value |
| ARR | Annual Recurring Revenue |
| ASM | Area Sales Manager |
| ATR | Available To Renew |
| CAC | Customer Acquisition Cost |
| CS | Customer Success |
| FTE | Full Time Equivalent |
| LAM | Landed Addressable Market |
| LTV | Life Time Value |
| MRR | Monthly Recurring Revenue |
| PCV | ProServe Contract Value |
| SA | Solution Architect |
| SAL | Strategic Account Leader |
| SQL | Sales Qualified Lead |
| SRE | Site Reliability Engineer |
| CSM | Customer Success Manager |
| TAM | Total Addressable Market |
| TCV | Total Contract Value |
If you're nearing your start date and still haven't received your laptop, please reach out to people-connect@gitlab.com for us to check in with the IT department and see where your laptop is in transit.
New user to Mac? Don't worry, many of us were also first time users! When you get your laptop, feel free to explore and get used to using your Macbook (just remembering not to set up an Apple ID). There is this really great Handbook page that share different helpful tips and many helpful YouTube video's. If you are switching from Windows to macOS, these keyboard tips may be useful.
GitLab utitilizes Expensify as our team member expense reimbursement tool. All team members will have access to Expensify within 2 days from their hire date. If you didn't receive an email from Expensify for your access, please contact ap@gitlab.com.
There are a few commonly expensed items among new hires that are listed below and a guide to how they can be categorized within Expensify.
| Item | Expensify Category |
|---|---|
| Desk | Office Equipment |
| Keyboard | Office Equipment |
| Monitor | Office Equipment |
| Mouse | Office Equipment |
| Headphones | Office Equipment |
| Computer Case | Office Supplies |
| Monthly Internet Subscription | Telecom Internet |
#it-help and #people-connectWant to learn more about Onboarding from current team members? View their feedback here!
Q: Am I able to buy things prior to my start date then expense once started?
A: Absolutely! We recommend reviewing our expenses handbook page about items are are expensable vs. non-expensable.
Q: I haven't received my GitLab issued laptop yet. Is it okay to use a personal one until it arrives?
A: Yes. You can absolutely use a personal laptop until your GitLab one arrives. You'll want to hold off on doing any of the hardware Security practices found in your onboarding issue until you have your GitLab laptop though.
Q: I purchased my own laptop for work. How do I go about expensing it?
A: You will get access to Expensify during your first week and you'll want to submit your receipts for reimbursement through the program.
Q: I would like to work in a co-working space instead of my home. Is that possible?
A: It is! You'll just want to make sure to review our co-working space details listed out here before signing any agreements.
Q: When will my first paycheck be?
A: Depending on where you are located, you can find the payroll cut off dates here and when you can expect to receive your first paycheck.
Q: I have preplanned vacations or commitments, how should I handle this upon starting and ensuring the PTO?
A: That's absolutely okay. You'll want to make sure to talk with your manager as soon as you can about the days to make sure appropriate coverage is there and then once you get access to Slack, you'll be able to submit your time off in PTO by Deel.
Q: How long do I have to enroll in benefits?
A: You have 30 days from your start date to enroll in benefits. Even if you enroll on that 30th day, benefits coverage backdates to your start date.
Q: When will I receive access to Schwab?
A: Once the board approves your grant, you will receive an email to create your account in Schwab and accept your grants. Depending on your start date, the email might arrive a few months after your first day.
Q: Is the value of the restricted stock anchored to the share price at the time I signed the contract?
A: You will receive the dollar figure listed on your contract, however the number of RSUs will be dependent upon the share price at the board meeting your grant is approved at.
Q: Where can I find information about ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Program)?
A: You can read about our ESPP program here.
Q: I received an email from Okta about access, do I need to do anything with it?
A: You won't need to action anything until day one! We are going to want you to review your Welcome to GitLab Onboarding email first and follow the instructions within that email to make sure that all your access is set up correctly. This will include creating your GitLab account, getting access to your GitLab email, and all other systems!
Q: Any tips for working in a remote environment and keeping myself engaged and productive?
A: GitLab has an entire team dedicated to providing the best tools to be successful at an all remote company. We highly suggest reviewing our playbook.
Q: How can I find team members located in my local area to meet up?
A: We have many location slack channels here tht allows team members to schedule informal local get togethers or coworking days. You can find the list of those channels here. If you don't see one for your area, feel free to create one!
Q: What is Family & Friend's Day?
A: In an ongoing pandemic with COVID-19 affecting many of our team members, we want to ensure that people are making their well-being a top priority and that we are living out our values, to emphasize this we will coordinate a monthly "Family and Friends Day". On this day, we will close the doors to the GitLab virtual office, reschedule all meetings, and have a publicly visible shutdown. You can read up more about it and view the schedule in our Handbook.