A truly valuable developer is one of the hardest things to find for startups. As you'll know from recruiting one, the competition is fierce and candidates are constantly being baited from one company to another with promises of free gadgets, gym memberships and unlimited cereal (as well as some of the best salaries in the world).
Once you've got hold of one, you don't want to lose them early on. The cost of replacing a recently hired employee is 30-50% of their salary, so in the case of a developer, between $30-$50k.
Developers are sometimes thrown in at the deep end when joining a new company, expected to teach themselves any parts of the code base and architecture they don't know. While this works for some people, it can be incredibly stressful and might make your new hire want to quit.
What follows is an easy and relaxed developer onboarding system designed to increase retention and employee happiness.