Onboarding activities that help new starters meet the team
By the Mission Memories team · Updated
The short answer
The best onboarding activities help new starters meet people outside their own team in their first weeks. A first-week photo challenge does this well: new starters get missions like "photo with someone from finance" or "find out who's been here longest", which give them a reason to start conversations. Pair it with a buddy, a structured meet-the-team schedule and a team lunch.
Why social onboarding matters
New starters learn the job from documents and training, but they learn how the company really works from people. The quicker they know someone in each team, the quicker they can ask questions.
First-week photo challenge
Create an event on Mission Memories for each new starter cohort. Missions give them a reason to introduce themselves, and colleagues soon learn what the challenge is. Free for up to 5 people.
- Selfie with your onboarding buddy
- Photo with someone from every department
- Find the person who's been here longest
- Photo with your manager's manager
- Find out the best lunch spot nearby and photograph it
- Photo with someone who started last year and ask their best tip
- Snap the most useful thing you learned this week
- Photo of the office's hidden gem
- Film 10 seconds on your first impressions
- Group photo with your new-starter cohort
More onboarding activities
- An onboarding buddy from a different team.
- A meet-the-team schedule: 15-minute coffees with a person from each team.
- A team lunch in the first week.
- "Ask me anything" with a senior leader.
- A shared intro post: three facts about the new starter in the company channel.
- A first-month check-in with someone outside their reporting line.
For remote new starters
Swap in-person missions for virtual ones: "screenshot a video call with someone from another team", "share your desk setup", "find someone in a different time zone".
Frequently asked questions
What are fun onboarding activities for new employees?
A first-week photo challenge, an onboarding buddy, meet-the-team coffees, a team lunch and an intro post in the company channel.
How do you help new starters meet people?
Give them a structured reason to start conversations, such as a photo challenge with missions involving people in every team, plus a buddy outside their own team.
Run it with Mission Memories
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