Fun onboarding activities matter because the first few days shape how a new employee perceives the company, their team, and their future there. Research from SHRM shows the first 45 days of employment account for up to 20% of employee turnover, making early engagement a direct retention lever, not a nice-to-have.
An effective welcome activity builds real connections between new hires and existing team members while reinforcing company culture — not just filling time. The best onboarding activities give new employees a reason to ask questions, interact across departments, and feel like recognized individuals before their first performance review.
Day one doesn't need to be packed with back-to-back events. Choose two or three activities that fit your team size and culture, then spread others across the first week so new hires have time to absorb information without feeling overwhelmed.
Social connection on day one reduces early turnover: SHRM data links the first 45 days directly to 20% of employee exits, which means every activity that builds belonging in week one has measurable retention value.
The best welcome activities double as informal performance insights: team meals, scavenger hunts, and happy hours reveal personality, collaboration style, and communication preferences before a formal review cycle begins.
A buddy program extends onboarding value well past the first week: unlike a single day-one event, a structured buddy system supports new hires through their 90-day review period and helps them navigate the performance expectations they'll be evaluated against.
Welcome kits do more work than most HR teams realize: including a performance review template or onboarding checklist in the kit introduces evaluation processes before they feel high-stakes, reducing anxiety around the first formal review.
Gamification makes mandatory orientation content stick: turning policy information and company facts into interactive games like Two Truths and a Lie increases recall and participation without requiring a redesign of your existing orientation materials.
Employees who eat together stay together. Organizing a meal to introduce your new hires to the team can help break the isolation on day one and create opportunities for informal employee feedback.
It provides a light-hearted setting that can let everyone connect quickly and transition your new hires to become part of the team. This early bonding can positively influence their employee performance review down the line.
Between mouthfuls of food, everyone can get to know each other's distinctive personality traits and interests beyond work. Plus, treating the whole team to lunch or dinner will create a fun moment that can build stronger work relationships and boost employee engagement. These interactions provide valuable performance data about team dynamics that can inform future performance appraisal processes.
Getting to know your new team and workspace is more effective when it is fun and interactive.
Hosting icebreaker activities like a scavenger hunt is one we recommend when you are onboarding several employees at once. This activity can also serve as an informal team performance review opportunity to observe collaboration skills.
Not only can you pair new hires together in a group to encourage bonding, but more importantly, the scavenger hunt gives them a chance to make introductions and interact with existing staff members when asking for clues. These peer review moments help establish relationships that will be valuable during the review cycle.
As they race around to various departments to find information, they can become more acquainted with the office layout and the peers they'll be working with.
For a fun twist, you can include a funny selfie or an interesting fact about your people or company culture so that it will be impossible to forget. You can even incorporate questions about performance review terms or company performance management strategy to familiarize them with evaluation processes.
Employee orientations are essential to introduce your new hires to the company policies and core values, but it doesn't have to be a dull PowerPoint presentation. Consider using a performance review template or review template format to make information more digestible.
Gamifying your new employee orientation and company orientation can make the learning process fun and encourage your new hires to participate actively in your presentation. A quick example is playing the game Two Truths and a Lie. When introducing your team or facts about the company, you can use the game to promote interaction and convey information digestibly, including details about the performance review process and how the company conducts effective performance reviews. Another more straightforward approach to gamifying your orientation is asking your new hire questions about their work experience or lifestyle, similar to a self-evaluation exercise.
Similarly, this can help engage your new employees in the conversation while allowing your team to get to know them better. You might even introduce them to the performance review template or performance evaluation template they'll use during their quarterly review template sessions, helping them understand what exceeds expectations in your organization.
The work environment plays a significant role in an employee's performance and their ability to receive constructive feedback.
Creating a positive workspace for your new hires can affect the office atmosphere, so decorate the workspace with balloons and a welcome sign. This supportive environment encourages open employee feedback and performance tracking from the start.
This will convey the message that the team is welcoming them with open arms.
Another trick is setting up snacks and drinks near the new employee's workspace to increase their chances of interaction and engagement with existing employees, creating natural opportunities for upward feedback and informal manager comments.
Plus, you can also prepare a welcome message from your company's boss telling them that they are excited to have them on board, which will certainly make for an unforgettable first day and enhance the overall onboarding experience. Consider including an office tour as part of this welcoming process, highlighting where review meeting sessions take place and where they can access performance review software or employee review software for future use.
Receiving a gift on your first day of work will make anyone feel that they are welcome.
So why not curate a welcome package for your new employees? It can be anything from healthy treats to office supplies that will motivate employees and set them up for success. Consider including a simple performance review guide or performance review form to familiarize them with your performance evaluation process.
Better yet, it can be a box of personalized gifts branded with company logos and colors to make new employees feel like they are valued members of the team. Including company swag and an employee handbook in the welcome kit can help reinforce company values and provide essential employee resources from day one. You might also include a performance review template, review template, or performance review template guide that outlines the annual performance review process, quarterly performance review schedule, and performance review workflow. Adding a review template and performance evaluation form helps new hires understand how their performance appraisal will be conducted. You can also include an onboarding checklist, information about the preboarding process, and details about conducting performance reviews to help new hires get up to speed quickly with both onboarding and the employee review process.
A buddy program is another way to welcome your new employees and accelerate their integration into the company while establishing a foundation for employee development.
Involving your existing staff in the process of assimilating new hires can bring benefits that extend beyond the first week and into their 90-day review period.
The system delivers value for both employees, building an immediate personal connection that can make it easier for employers to retain individuals. The buddy can provide informal employee feedback and help prepare new hires for their quarterly performance review and annual performance review.
However, there are essential criteria to consider when choosing the right onboarding buddy.
The person should demonstrate a strong job performance history in the new hire's role and actual time to assist the new hire. This structured onboarding approach can significantly improve the new hire onboarding process and contribute to long-term job satisfaction. The buddy can also help clarify job expectations, discuss opportunities for professional development within the company, and even assist with review preparation for the new hire's first performance review. They can explain the performance rating scale, share best performance reviews examples, walk through the performance review template, and help create a performance improvement plan if needed during the employee development plan process.
Speed up the team bonding process by organizing social activities and events. This could be lunch, happy hour, a coffee break, or even a friendly badminton match.
This informal atmosphere is an excellent chance for your new team to connect and build strong interpersonal relationships that facilitate 360-degree feedback and upward feedback in the future.
New hires can use this opportunity to ask questions to fill in the gaps and get to know the different personalities in the team or internal company jargon, including performance review phrases commonly used during evaluations.
Plus, it gives current employees a chance to welcome new team members without disrupting workflow and potentially busy days. These social events can be an integral part of your onboarding strategy, fostering a positive workplace culture from the start and supporting employee development plan initiatives. Consider incorporating one-on-one meetings or coffee chats into these sessions for more personalized interactions that mirror the degree feedback approach used in formal performance reviews.
While you can introduce the team in a fun scavenger hunt or create a welcoming environment for your new hires, it is essential not to go overboard with a frenzy of activities. Instead, choose only onboarding methods that fit your company and team. But either way, make sure to put yourself into your new hire's shoes to ensure your new hires feel special and excited to start their new careers at your company. A well-planned onboarding schedule that includes these fun onboarding activities can lead to improved employee productivity and help achieve organizational goals more effectively. Remember, effective onboarding and smooth onboarding processes are key to long-term employee satisfaction and retention, setting the stage for effective performance evaluation and successful performance management.
By integrating performance review processes early — through goal setting, establishing clear performance metrics, and introducing tools like performance review template and review template resources — you create a comprehensive employee assessment framework. This approach ensures that new hires understand expectations from day one and are prepared for their review cycle, whether it's a 90-day review, quarterly review, or annual performance review. Combining engaging onboarding activities with structured performance analysis and performance tracking creates the foundation for conducting performance reviews that truly support employee growth and organizational success.
The best ways to welcome new employees include a team lunch, office tour, welcome kit, buddy introduction, workspace setup, and a simple first-day agenda. Your goal is to reduce first-day anxiety, help the employee meet the right people, and make expectations clear from the start.
You make a new employee feel welcome before day one by sending a personal welcome message, sharing the onboarding schedule, completing paperwork early, introducing their manager or buddy, and giving clear first-day instructions. HR Cloud helps automate these preboarding tasks so new hires arrive prepared.
A new hire welcome kit should include company-branded items, an employee handbook, first-week schedule, login instructions, team contacts, role expectations, and helpful onboarding resources. The best welcome kits are useful, personal, and tied to the employee’s first-week experience.
HR teams can create a better onboarding experience by combining structured workflows with personal connection. Assign a buddy, schedule manager check-ins, automate paperwork, track onboarding tasks, and give new hires easy access to company resources.
A buddy program helps new employees learn the company culture, tools, team norms, and daily expectations faster. It gives them a trusted person to ask questions and helps HR improve engagement, confidence, and early retention.
Employee onboarding software improves the welcome experience by automating paperwork, reminders, task assignments, approvals, and progress tracking. HR Cloud Onboard helps HR teams create consistent onboarding journeys so every new hire knows what to do before and after day one.
Yes. HR Cloud helps automate new hire onboarding with digital forms, task checklists, document collection, approval workflows, e-signatures, reminders, and payroll or HRIS integrations. HR Cloud Onboard helps teams reduce manual follow-up and deliver a smoother new hire experience.
Employee orientation is usually a one-time event that introduces policies, benefits, tools, and basic expectations. Employee onboarding is a longer process that helps new hires become productive, connected, and confident in their role.
Author:
Adela Belin is a content marketer and blogger at Writers Per Hour. She is passionate about sharing stories with the hope to make a difference in people's lives and contribute to their personal and professional growth. Find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.