Virtual onboarding activities for new hires

1. Week 1

   Faces before tasks

   In the first week a new hire meets their own team and not much else. Give them one hour where the agenda is people: a short show-and-tell game like Team Discovery Challenge in small breakout rooms, with their manager playing too. Keep sharing optional and light (a favorite snack, the oddest thing on their desk) so nobody is put on the spot.

2. Week 2

   Meet people outside the team

   The hard part of remote onboarding is often knowing who to ask. A Speed Networking round helps with that in 45 minutes: rotating one-on-ones with people from other teams, each with a prompt so the conversation starts on its own. Invite a few long-tenured volunteers so each new hire leaves with names to message.

3. Month 1

   A first win with the team

   By week four people know names but have not done anything together yet. A hosted team game such as Quiz Showdown! or Your Favorite Game Shows! gives them a shared win (or a shared, hilarious loss). Mix new hires into teams with existing staff, and add a round of questions about your company, its products and its inside jokes (custom questions need 4 weeks' notice).

4. Month 2

   Something calmer and hands-on

   Once the nerves are gone, a kit workshop like Terrarium Making or Coffee Tasting works well: a box arrives at every new hire's door and a host guides the group through making or tasting something. Hands are busy, so conversation flows without prompts. Kit workshops need 3 weeks to ship, 3 to 4 for international addresses.

5. Day 90

   A cohort reunion

   Bring the same starting class back together at the end of their first quarter. It closes the onboarding period, shows how far they have come, and tends to be the session people remember. Pick a game they have not played yet, such as Scavenger Hunt with a Twist!, so it feels new.

Onboarding a cohort, an intern class or monthly starters?

How to plan when new hires arrive in waves.

• Monthly starters

  Run it as a series

  If people start every month, book the same activity on a set day each month so every class gets it. A multi-event program plans the dates as one calendar with one point of contact.

• Intern classes

  Start with a big welcome

  A summer intern class arrives at once. Open with a team game for the whole class on day one, then let each team run its own smaller session.

• Large cohorts

  More teams, same host

  A 60-person starting class still plays in small teams: more breakout rooms, and we may add a tech assistant. See how we run large groups.

• 5 minutes

  Desk show and tell

  Everyone grabs one object within arm's reach and explains it in 30 seconds. Start with the manager so new hires see the tone.

• 10 minutes

  Two truths and a lie

  Each person shares three facts; the team votes in chat on the lie. Works best in groups of six or fewer.

• 10 minutes

  Team bingo

  Make a bingo card of facts (has lived abroad, plays an instrument). New hires message colleagues to fill squares in their first week.