If you have a company of employees who are coming to your business for the first time, you will need to come up with some fun, effective employee orientation exercises to help them get comfortable with their new workplace. A fun and effective way to do this is to have your employees participate in a game or scavenger hunt. This will not only make them feel more welcome, but it will also increase their interest in your business and show them that you are not just a place to work, but that it is also a community.
How to make new hire orientation fun
Orientation exercises for new hires can be a fun and effective way to help your team bond. You can create games that are both fun and educational to improve employee engagement, boost self confidence, and learn more about the company culture.
For example, you can have each new hire write down three interesting facts about themselves before the official start of the orientation session. They can be used to answer questions during the game.
Another good example is the helium stick. Also referred to as the Magic Cane, this interactive game has a simple premise. It’s a great way to teach teamwork, if you let the employees get creative! The objective of the game is to drop a stick without it hitting the floor.
One of the more popular orientation exercises for new hires is the egg drop. It’s a classic training exercise that’s been around for ages. This fun game can be a good way to introduce your new employees to the office, as well as some of your team’s more senior members.
The Lie Detector Game is also a fun way to break the ice. A little known fact is that this game actually teaches people about teamwork, as they have to work together to lower the helium stick.
Another fun onboarding activity is the picture match. In this game, the new employees are asked to pair pictures of themselves with those of their co-workers. These may be taken during the orientation session, or during a social gathering at lunchtime.
While these are not a substitute for the actual onboarding process, they can be a fun way to introduce your new employees to the office.
Best creative new employee orientation programs
If you’re looking for a way to engage your employees, consider running an interactive scavenger hunt in your office. It can be a fun team building exercise, as well as a fun way to introduce new hires to the office culture.
Scavenger hunts are a popular way to boost communication and innovation. They can be conducted by individuals or by teams, and can be held anywhere. While the classic scavenger hunt is still the most effective, there are more advanced versions available. You can even set up an online version.
Some of the more advanced options include a scavenger hunt that is customized to your company and location. These are great for fostering relationships and collaboration between your employees, and for boosting morale.
Another option is to make the most of a company tour. During a tour, take the newbies to the places that they’ll be most likely to see during their first day in the office. This will help them familiarize themselves with the workplace and facilities.
There are also many other team building exercises that can help you get your employees onboard. Some of these include an icebreaker, a scavenger hunt, and a simple office tour.
In addition to being an effective team building activity, a scavenger hunt is a great way to teach your employees about the company’s history, culture, and values. Companies that promote these practices have higher revenue.
Regardless of the size of your organization, an icebreaker is a fun way to show new recruits that you care. Having a laugh with fellow colleagues can help strengthen the bonds that you share and improve overall performance.
Jeopardy
Using games for staff orientation can make the experience more engaging. Employees will feel included and more comfortable working with their new team members. It can also help reduce the risk of turnover.
A Jeopardy-like game can be a fun way to introduce new learning points. The game show can be played with varying point values. Team members can bet a certain number of points or a percentage of the total.
Teams answer questions on a board. Those who answered correctly win points. Incorrect answers result in losing a certain amount of points.
The game can be played in groups ranging from two to twelve people. The team that answers the most questions wins. Each question is worth a different value.
Another variation of the game is to ask a group of employees to swap into another team. Group members can then ask their own questions.
For larger groups, a staff orientation trivia game can be a fun and engaging activity. One of the most popular guessing games is “Who Am I?” Depending on the size of the group, this exercise can be an icebreaker or a group bonding activity.
For a more traditional approach, write a list of things that employees might find in their homes. Set a time limit for everyone to look for those items. When the person returns with an item, he or she gets a point.
If you want to try to make the game a little more interactive, have the employees perform a mad lib. Make sure to choose a few words to remove before revealing the answers. This will help eliminate confusion among the team members.
Office tour
The best way to orient new employees is to give them a tour of the office. This can be done through a scavenger hunt. Hide items in different rooms and teams have to find them. They can also use a famous painting or poster as a clue to some important part of the office.
Having a buddy system is also an effective way to orient new hires. After onboarding, the buddies take the new employee on a tour of the office. In this way, the new employee will feel more comfortable in the workplace.
Another good way to orient new employees is to have a team building activity. Whether it’s a physical activity or a mental game, it can be a fun bonding experience.
Icebreaker games are a great way to get employees talking and making friends. Aside from that, these games are also a great way to orient new employees to the organization. These activities are designed to build comradery and create an atmosphere for success.
If you’re planning on giving out gifts, you should choose something that isn’t too costly. You can even try giving a gift card to the first person to complete the scavenger hunt.
Giving out prizes is also a good way to spice up your orienting exercises. Surprise guests aren’t usually planned, but they can add a fun element to the program. Also, send a questionnaire to the new employee to help them minimize any shock.
Regardless of the type of orienting exercise you plan, the most important aspect is making sure that your new employees are familiar with the company culture. Your orientation should provide them with guidelines for their behavior and conduct. It should cover the work environment, departments, and culture of the organization.
Surprise guest
If you’re looking for a fun way to kick off your employee orientation, you may want to consider holding a game or other activity. You can also give new employees a fun surprise, such as a voucher or electronic gift card. This can add to the overall fun and also reinforce some of the important information about your team.
You could hold an icebreaker game, or you can play a classic game. For example, you could play Would You Rather, which asks players to answer questions about the workplace, work-life balance, and their commute to and from work.
Another fun activity is a scavenger hunt, which is designed to help you discover more about your team. These types of games can be theme-related, so that you can highlight the upcoming events in your organization.
Another icebreaker idea is to send a questionnaire to the new employees. This helps them to get to know you better without a big shock.
You can also create a Jeopardy game, which can be based on your employee handbook, or you can simply ask new employees to send you their own quizzes. A great way to make it fun is to use Poll Everywhere to have the players vote on which facts they like.
Creating a game or other activity can be tricky, but it can be a lot of fun. And remember, it’s also important to remember that you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a great employee orientation. The key is to find a good balance between fun and informative, and that’s the secret to a successful new hire program.