When orientation programs are longer than a couple of days, mix in a few activities to keep it interesting and keep the new hires engaged in the program. The activity examples provided in this article aren’t just fun, but also enable for the new hire to get acclimated to the organization and begin to develop working relationships. Here are a few activities to get you started in jazzing up your new hire orientation program.
Scavenger Hunt: give new hires a sheet of paper with information they must learn about the organization. Provide clues such as current employees (at all levels) they might reach out to in order to learn the information they are seeking.
Another version of this scavenger hunt has new hires looking for employees within the organization who match certain criteria, such as:
- Find an employee who has been with the organization for over 20 years
- Find an employee who has worked in all five of our locations
- Etc.
Build Relationships: pair up an equal number of new hires with current employees (ideally have current employees who will be working closely with the new hires in their departments/workgroups) so that they can begin to learn about each other and build relationships. Have each new hire and current employee pair complete a questionnaire that asks about themselves. For example,
- How many years have someone worked at the organization?
- How many children does someone have?
- What kinds of pets does someone have?
- Etc.
From this information compile a sheet of data points, such as:
- Who has been with the organization for 25 years?
- Who has 5 children and another on the way?
- Who has 2 dogs, 1 cat and a parakeet?
- Etc.
During the course of the orientation program, provide new hires and current employees with the opportunity to get together – such as during lunch or a cocktail hour – to begin to learn about each other.
Meet and Greet: Have a meet and greet for new hires and current employees, at all levels and representing all functional areas, over breakfast, lunch or an after-hours event. This enables for new hires and current employees to get to know each and for new hires to feel welcomed into the organization.
Want to learn more? Contact Abudi Consulting Group today to learn how we have worked with organizations to create onboarding and new hire orientation programs that make the new employees feel welcomed and wanted from day one.
