What Should I Do in the First Week of GEO Onboarding?

Understanding GEO Launch: Your First Week Overview

The first week of GEO Launch is Geotab’s comprehensive virtual onboarding program designed to immerse new employees in company-specific knowledge before they meet their direct teams. This structured approach ensures that all new hires, regardless of their department or role, gain a foundational understanding of how the organization operates, its core values, and its strategic direction. The program has successfully onboarded over 1,200 employees worldwide in recent years, with participants rating their experience at an impressive 4.8 out of 5 stars on average.

During this critical first week, you won’t be meeting your department team yet—instead, you’ll focus entirely on company-wide immersion and cultural integration. This deliberate separation allows you to absorb essential organizational knowledge without the pressure of immediate role-specific responsibilities. The approach has proven highly effective, with new employees demonstrating a 98% pass rate on knowledge assessments and an average score of 88%, indicating strong retention of core concepts.

The Four Key Stages of Your GEO Launch Experience

Your first week follows a structured framework built on four essential onboarding stages that create a comprehensive learning journey. Understanding these stages helps you prepare mentally and emotionally for what lies ahead during your initial days at Geotab.

Daily Schedule and Activities During Your First Week

Your first week of GEO Launch follows a carefully designed daily schedule that balances learning with engagement and wellness. The program incorporates multiple learning formats to prevent screen fatigue and maintain high engagement levels. Each day includes a mix of presentations, interactive activities, social engagement opportunities, and structured breaks to ensure you remain focused and energized throughout the week.

Monday typically kicks off with orientation sessions where you’ll be introduced to Geotab’s mission, vision, and core values. You’ll meet your onboarding specialist—a dedicated facilitator who will guide you through the entire week—and connect with other new hires in your cohort. The day emphasizes building rapport and creating a sense of belonging within the organization. You’ll learn about company structure, key departments, and how different teams contribute to Geotab’s overall success.

Tuesday and Thursday mornings feature Tabr sessions, an in-house employee matching program that helps new hires learn more about their colleagues across the organization. These interactive sessions foster social engagement and help you build relationships beyond your immediate team. These days also include department-specific subject matter expert (SME) presentations where leaders from various departments share insights into their functions, strategic priorities, and how they support the company’s mission.

Wednesday is designated as Wellness Wednesday, starting with live chair yoga and guided meditation sessions. This mindful approach to onboarding recognizes the importance of mental health and stress management during your transition into a new role. Following wellness activities, you’ll continue with presentations and learning sessions, but with a more relaxed pace that allows for self-paced learning where cameras are optional, reducing screen fatigue.

Throughout the week, you’ll participate in interactive activities focused on Geotab’s culture and core values. The program includes discussions around the Geotab Culture Book and structured activities that help you understand and internalize the company’s fundamental principles. These aren’t passive lectures—they’re designed to be engaging and thought-provoking, encouraging you to think about how these values apply to your role and career.

Knowledge Assessment and Competency Verification

At the conclusion of your first week of GEO Launch, you’ll complete a comprehensive knowledge assessment that evaluates your understanding of the material covered throughout the week. This test covers the basics of company operations, culture, products, and organizational structure. The assessment serves multiple purposes: it helps verify that you’ve retained critical information, provides feedback on areas where you might need additional support, and demonstrates the effectiveness of the onboarding program itself.

The statistics speak to the program’s success—new employees achieve an average pass rate of 98% with an average score of 88%. These impressive numbers reflect both the quality of instruction and the engagement level of participants. If you don’t pass on your first attempt, additional support and resources are provided to help you succeed. The assessment is designed to be fair and achievable for anyone who has actively participated in the week’s activities.

Feedback and Continuous Improvement

Your feedback is critically important to Geotab’s commitment to continuous improvement. At the end of your first week, you’ll be asked to provide anonymous feedback on your experience, rating both your onboarding specialist and the overall program. This feedback has directly shaped program improvements over the years, including increased social engagement opportunities, incorporation of wellness activities, better scheduling to prevent presentation fatigue, and enhanced cultural immersion activities.

Recent improvements implemented based on new hire feedback include:

• Increased social engagement and rapport building within departments through strategic pairing of individuals
• Integration of Tabr sessions on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for enhanced peer connections
• Expanded discussion and interactive activities around Geotab culture and core values
• Implementation of self-paced learning options to reduce screen fatigue
• Better distribution of department presentations throughout the week to prevent information overload
• Addition of Wellness Wednesday with yoga and meditation to support mental health

Preparing for Your Second Week and Beyond

While your first week of GEO Launch focuses on company-wide immersion, your second week marks the transition to department, team, and role-specific training. This is when you’ll finally meet your direct manager and team members, who will guide you through your specific responsibilities and expectations. The foundation you’ve built during week one—understanding company operations, culture, and strategic direction—positions you perfectly to absorb role-specific information more effectively.

The deliberate separation between company-wide and role-specific onboarding has proven highly effective because it allows you to ask questions about the broader organization without worrying about impressing your direct team. You’ll have already built relationships with peers across departments, giving you a network of colleagues you can turn to for advice and support as you settle into your role.

Success Metrics and Program Effectiveness

The GEO Launch program demonstrates remarkable effectiveness through multiple measurable outcomes. With over 1,200 employees successfully onboarded in recent years, the program has established itself as a best-in-class virtual onboarding experience. The 4.8 out of 5-star satisfaction rating (96% overall satisfaction) and 4.95 out of 5-star facilitator rating (99% satisfaction) indicate that new employees feel genuinely supported and welcomed during their first week.

Beyond satisfaction scores, the program’s impact on long-term employee success is significant. Structured onboarding experiences like GEO Launch have been shown to improve employee retention by 82%, with employees 58% more likely to remain at the company for at least three years. Additionally, proper onboarding can increase employee performance by up to 11%, demonstrating that the investment in a comprehensive first week pays dividends throughout an employee’s tenure at the organization.