[thumbtackthief]

This is helpful, thank you. We're not a small startup by any means--we are a company that predates the Internet by about 100 years, literally--but we are a small team (seven devs).

Do you have a formalized pair programming process, or is it just "Hey, who can help me with this?" We're the latter, and while people often try their best, it usually devolves into "Let me do this for you".

[Hamatti]

It depends a lot on the company and the team but I think instead of just the new dev shouting out "Can anyone help me?", there would be a senior dev dedicated to you. That way that person knows it's her/his job to help you out and it's okay if that means you don't get so much done. At the same time other people on the team will be able to focus on their work.