This could be due to the fact that those new hires are not clearly told what they were hired to do or what their goals should be for the first six months and the first year. Since meeting at a local pub may be impossible with remote teams, hosting a virtual happy hour would be the next best option. Whoever catches the ball next must repeat the sound made, then throw the ball to another person making their own unique sound. Not so! Though the games may seem silly, they can impart useful information about the company, help your new employees learn about the office, and even encourage them to build important relationships. Then, have the students put their hometowns and names on the map. Whoever guesses correctly gets bragging rights. However, there are several new employee orientation games that are even more fun with a big group. Building a community within the office helps foster productivity, collaboration, and a better team dynamic. Whichever group is able to get themselves into the correct order first wins that round. For this icebreaker, have everyone on your team go around and share a word or phrase that represents how they feel that day. Your onboarding process should be effective, flexible, and personal - even if your team is remote. Now what? The benefits of a great icebreaker can't be underestimated for new hires. The Marshmallow Challenge is an activity that needs to be done in person and with everyone in the same room but it's one of the favorite physical icebreakers for promoting teamwork. Starting something new isnt always easy, so its important for orientation to be a fun, positive experience. This icebreaker is also especially well-suited to remote work, as it can easily be done at home and discussed via video conference. Have everyone get into a circle and one person will start. The activity can be easier or harder depending on the time limit you give, but three minutes is a good starting point. A classic game played at summer camps everywhere, "Would You Rather" is an excellent, quick ice breaker for the workplace. Have everyone chime in one-by-one on whether they agree or disagree. Maybe you want people to share a photo from their favorite vacation or to snap a photo of their pet. The orientation leader will prepare a list of sentences. The idea of having to deal with these three things can be overwhelming for an incoming first-year college student. What was the first concert you ever went to? - Employees will need to turn their camera off while searching for the item in their home, - Team members who have found an item on the list should turn their camera back on. Each player must put their right hand in the middle of the circle andthehand of a player who is not to their immediate left or right. After a few minutes, have the group reconvene and have each student introduce the person whose plane they found with their name, the question they wrote, and what their response was. Ask the group to sit in a circle. In this icebreaker, youll first want to ask everyone involved if theyre comfortable having their photos taken before the meeting begins (I know Id like a heads up in case I was wearing an old band shirt instead of my usual business casual outfits.). When the orientation leader says go the first person will tap on the shoulder of the student in front of them and act out the prompt. Ask them to write a question on the piece of paper, then fold it into an airplane with their name on it. As the map fills up with pins, people will learn about how diverse their teammates might be. This continues until one of the lines is exhausted. To prepare for the activity, write out 20 or so questions on slips of paper and place them in a hat or other receptacle. Make sure you keep track of how many you get right! Theres nothing like some lighthearted banter to get everyone warmed up before a meeting. Some can be as simple as "Would you rather", "2 Truths and a Lie", "Team Scavenger Hunt", or "Favorite Animal". Line the items up and split the group into sub-teams. Keep going around until only one team is left. Once all the slips are collected, someone will draw one out of the bowl and read to the rest of the players whats on the slip. Free and premium plans, Customer service software. Talent show Ask for a few volunteers who want to The game is simple, each team member is presented with two options in the form of the question: "Would you rather?" Their turn will begin, and they will share a new interest. Then, divide your group into evenly-sized teams. Would you rather have a horrible short-term memory or a horrible long-term memory? Two will be true and one will be a lie. As a transfer student, I was nervous about meeting new people and acclimating to a new school. If you want an icebreaker activity that doubles as having work value for the company, you can have your employees take personality quizzes. Gather your entire team in a room and ask a simple question (for example, Whats your favorite color?). ", She continued, "For example, some folks on our team dont watch a lot of T.V. Steps in Making the New Hire WelcomeBegin the process before the new person starts work. Make sure that key coworkers know the employee is starting and encourage them to come to say "hello" before orientation begins. Assign a mentor or buddy, to show the new person around, make introductions, and start training. Start with the basics. More items It helps to create an environment of trust and support within the team, allowing the new hires to feel more connected with their colleagues. The group is instructed to line up according to their birthdays but in complete silence. Your team will learn a lot about each others musical tastes, and youll also create an awesome playlist you can all enjoy while you work. Icebreaker Bingo is a great way to bond with large teams because it can include as many people as you want. You could make a whole talent show out of it! If desired, have everyone rotate partners. An alternative to the partner introduction that will still serve to help My name is Lindsey and I like lettuce and his name is Luke and he likes lemons.). Make it a competition to see which of your team members has the gnarliest frown, and bestow upon them the title of Frown King or Queen. Someone with that same interest should either drop a note in the chat or raise their hand. Ten things in common. (i.e. Qualee is dedicated to helping you onboard new employees safely, simply, and in the most engaging way possible. Youd be surprised how passionate some of your coworkers can get over food. If your goal is simply to encourage team bonding, your quiz can be more fun like, "Match the lyrics with this 80's song." Why Digitisation Is Changing Onboarding and Engagement. Pick one player to start the game, saying ha once. Task each team with picking an item they would use to survive if stranded on a desert island. Each student will go to one side of the room based on their preference. Someone can either lead by example, showcasing some arm and back stretches, or just let everyone freestyle. Click the Invite button and share the link with your colleagues. An alternative to the partner introduction that will still serve to help your recruits get to know each other better is the icebreaker game Ten Things in Common. Again, youll want to split your group into pairs. A scavenger hunt is also an exceptional opportunity for cross-department interaction. Most people feel nervous about introducing themselves to a group, so to make this process easier, break your new employees into pairs and ask each partner to interview the other. Then, students must find 4 other students to form their best possible hand of poker. This information can be stored and used for future reference. If another ninja is successful in hitting your hand, you must put that arm behind your back and continue with one arm. When the game starts, everyone will be prompted to write a fun sentence. One student will start out by introducing themselves to the group (i.e. Let your team know ahead of time that youll be doing this activity. Popcorn it over to the most enthusiastic team member with that same interest and have them share a new one. Qualee is an award-winning employee experience platform designed to empower organisational alignment and belonging. The orientation leader picks any year or a date before orientation and gives each student a chance to tell the group what they were doing at that time (the summer of 2007, when One Direction split-up, when Lemonade was released whatever you want). - What is your favorite thing about working in a team? Make sure you give the hider a set amount of time to hide! Collect allof the responses and place them in a bowl. If youre on Zoom, post the question on the chat or share it via your screen. As a group, they must form a perfect square. Every team member should popcorn their turn, or you can go alphabetically. They will then say their names and what they have in common (This is Alex, and my name is Franklin, and we both like dogs.). This could work like, Simon says touch your hips, Simon says hop on one foot, Simon says touch your nose touch your ears! Whoever does the action (like touching your ears) will be booted out of the game because it wasnt a Simon says action. Allow the team to try and guess who wrote it. But we kept at it. Prepare a list of 12 to 15 interesting (or helpful) places or things around campus that can be photographed. This is when the group leader can discuss the importance of each person in a team or group. They should say a word (for example, big). Team members should drop their guess in the chat. You can alsorepeat this by having each student state their intended major and why they chose it. Aside from being a fun team activity, this might be a great energizer for sales employees or others that regularly pitch, market, and sell products. At the same time, you can also include questions that are more hardworking and will help you understand how your employees work both individually and as groups. Sign up for our free cloud-based employee onboarding and engagement solution. Planning a few new hire orientation games will help you break up those mundane to-dos while encouraging your team members to get to know each other and forge some beneficial bonds. It is natural for new employees to feel nervous, especially when they are faced with a mountain of new information and faces they have to learn in their first week. here. Pair the group off and give them five minutes to interview each other. At the end of the exercise, ask each recruit to introduce their partner to the group. Not only is it fun at the moment, but then everyone has the chance to discover new artists and tunes they havent heard of before. Jenga is considered a classic game for a reason, and because its easy to play and put away. Maybe the week has been busy for you and your team, or its going on your fourth meeting of the day. Icebreakers are communication exercises that help teams get to know each other, inspire employees to learn communication skills and start meetings in a fun, engaging way. This article explains why icebreakers are effective, gives nine fun icebreaker exercises to try at your next team meeting (whether your team is in the office or remote) and Looking for a specific type of ice breaker? Here are a few virtual ice breakers you can try in virtual onboarding programs. Then, give them a long piece of rope or yarn, instructing each person to hold onto their piece. Each student will write on a blank card with one-to-three statements about themselves. Then, have each group create a chain by linking arms. Fortunately, you can conduct a scavenger hunt for your team even if they've worked at your office for years. With a fun icebreaker that doesnt cut too much into the workday, your team will be much more interested and engaged. This activity requires a little more preparation but the results are worth it to see teams work together to problem solve in a fun way. Repeat this using the left hand, except holding the hand of a different player than before. Allow the teams time to deliberate and then ask them to present the item they chose and why. - What is something no one here knows about you? Ask them which theyd prefer to dress in and why. Have everyone divide into two teams, and have one player at a time pantomime (act out) the subject for their own respective teammates. Other players can score more points for identifying the word the fastest and take turns going until the timer goes out. The question can change every week. Its important to note that no two people will have more than one tile to ensure everyone is included. Some suggested sentences for this exercise include: Before I came to college, my main interests were, The way I would describe my family is, and The things I value most are. 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