Good onboarding activities for new employees put the new hires in a small team with their future colleagues and give that team a shared problem to solve. A 60-minute escape room or VR game at Questrooms on Södermalm does exactly that, and it fits a lunch or an afternoon in the first month. This guide covers when to plan the activity, which format fits your group, which games suit a first meeting, and what it costs.
Why do onboarding activities for new employees work?
Onboarding activities for new employees work because a shared task replaces small talk. In a game, a new hire asks for help, offers an idea and sees how colleagues think, all within 60 minutes. Nobody has to present themselves. The team learns names and working styles through the game, not through a round of introductions.
That matters most in January, when several people often start in the same weeks. A welcome activity gives the new group and the existing team one common story from the first month, and the story is about solving something together, not about who sat where at a dinner.
When in the first month should you plan it?
Plan the activity for the second or third week. By then, new hires know the basics of the job and have met their closest colleagues, but the team has not yet settled into fixed groups. A weekday slot between 12:00 and 15:00 fits a working day and costs less for team packages.
- Week 1: tools, accounts and the first meetings. Leave the activity out.
- Weeks 2 to 3: the team activity. Mix new hires with people from other teams.
- Week 4: a short follow-up, for example a lunch where the teams compare how the game went.
Which onboarding format fits your group?
The right onboarding format depends on how many people join: the new hires, their buddies and the colleagues they will work with. Up to 6 people fit one room, 7 to 10 fit BACK-TO-BACK in VR, and 8 to 44 fit the team building packages at Kocksgatan 21A.
| People | Format | How it works | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 to 6 | One room, classic or VR | One team plays one game | 60 min game, about 1.5 h visit |
| 7 to 10 | BACK-TO-BACK VR | One shared game, or two teams racing in the same game | 60 min game, about 1.5 h visit |
| 8 to 12 | Team Start | 2 groups play at the same time and compete for the best time | 1.5 hours |
| 13 to 22 | Team Boost | 3 groups play all rooms at the same time | 1.5 hours |
| 23 to 44 | Business Challenge or Corporate Takeover | 4 to 6 groups, half play while half have fika, then swap | 2.5 hours |
| 19 to 200+ | Quest to Go | Teams of 5 to 7 play at your office | 60 to 90 min game |
With BACK-TO-BACK, up to 8 players can join one co-op game, or up to 10 can split into two teams that race in the same VR game. For a large intake, or onboarding days at your own office, Quest to Go brings an AR spy game to your venue.
Which games suit a first team activity?
Games with a calm start and a clear shared goal suit a first team activity. Mission Sigma VR is easy and fun for beginners, Jungle Quest VR is a puzzle adventure at difficulty 2 of 5, and Signal Lost VR asks the whole team to work together. None of them is scary.
- Mission Sigma VR: a specialist team must stop a countdown in a trapped tower. Difficulty 2 of 5, from age 10, 2 to 6 players.
- Jungle Quest VR: floating islands and magical creatures with puzzles underneath. Difficulty 2 of 5, works well for adults.
- Signal Lost VR: the team enters a falling space station as robotic engineers. Difficulty 3 of 5.
- Escape the Worlds: one door leads to a series of worlds, and up to 8 players can play it together in co-op mode.
Save the horror rooms and the hardest rooms, such as Russian Mafia at difficulty 5 of 5, for a later team event, once people know each other.
How do you make new hires part of the game?
Make new hires part of the game by building the teams on purpose. Put one or two new hires in each team, add a buddy they already know, and fill the rest with colleagues from other teams. Then the game gives everyone a reason to talk across the organisation.
- Brief the team, not the new hire: tell the existing colleagues to ask the new person for ideas early in the game.
- Use the lounge: team packages include the private lounge, so the teams can sit down together after the game.
- Ask two questions afterwards: what worked in the team, and who found the key clue. The answers say more about the team than a slide does.
- Keep it alcohol-free: Questrooms has no alcohol licence, and no drinking on site is a safety rule, so nobody has to opt out.
Does it work for international hires?
Yes. The puzzles at Questrooms do not depend on language, the classic rooms contain almost no text, and everything a team must read is translated into English. Game masters give instructions in English or Swedish. Write "English" in the booking comment, and the briefing and clues run in English for that team.
The guide to team building for international teams has more on mixed-language groups.
What does an onboarding activity cost?
An onboarding activity at Questrooms costs 389 SEK per person for the team packages, and 349 SEK per person on weekdays between 12:00 and 15:00. A single room for 2 to 6 people costs 409 to 369 SEK per person, depending on the number of players. All prices include VAT.
Companies can pay by invoice: add the company name, a reference person, the billing address, the invoice email and a phone number in the booking comment. Quest to Go has an indicative rate of 389 SEK per person up to 50 people.
FAQ
What is a good team activity to welcome new hires?
A good team activity to welcome new hires is a game that mixes them with colleagues and gives the team one shared goal. A 60-minute VR or escape room game at Questrooms on Södermalm works for 2 to 44 people, and Quest to Go brings a game to your office for 19 to 200+ people.
How many new hires can play in one team?
One room at Questrooms takes 2 to 6 players, and VR BACK-TO-BACK takes up to 10 players across two rooms. Put one or two new hires in each team and fill the rest with colleagues, so every new person has people to talk to during the 60-minute game.
Can new employees with a disability join?
Yes, in VR and outdoor formats. In VR you can sit for the whole game and move with the controllers, which suits people with bad balance, knees or backs. VR, outdoor games and Quest to Go are accessible for wheelchair users. The classic rooms are not recommended for wheelchairs, so tell Questrooms in advance.
How quickly can we book an onboarding activity?
For a single room, the booking calendar shows times 21 days ahead and online booking closes 3 hours before each start. For team packages, Questrooms answers event requests within a few hours and no later than one business day, with times and a price for your group.
Book the welcome activity
Choose a date for one room in the booking calendar, or send the number of people through the team building page if you need several teams. Add "English" in the comment if the new hires prefer it, and you get times and a price before you confirm.