Death By PowerPoint

Starting a new job should feel exciting, not overwhelming, confusing or even worse isolating. Yet for many new employees, onboarding still looks like a marathon of PowerPoint slides and HR policy downloads. It’s no surprise the term “death by PowerPoint” keeps coming up. 

We believe onboarding activities for new employees should go beyond slides decks and manuals. If you’re serious about employee's engagement, culture building and long-term retention, then your onboarding needs to reflect that.  

Why Traditional Inductions Aren’t Enough  

Let’s face it: 

• Clicking through 100 slides in a boardroom or over Zoom doesn’t help people feel part of the team 
• New graduates and early career hires are already dealing with imposter syndrome and first job anxiety 
• Moving into a senior role can be just as daunting especially without support or peer connection 
• In hybrid or remote environments, it’s easier to feel disconnected from company culture.  

And it shows. 23% of new hires have admitted to crying during their first week on the job. That’s a stat you can’t ignore, and one that shows just how fragile those early days can be. 

A Better Way to Onboard 

The best onboarding experiences  

• Reduce stress and build confidence 
• Speed up learning by making information stick 
• Create early team bonds and internal networks 
• Help employees feel like they matter from day one 

Onboarding is more than just a HR requirement, it’s the foundation of your employee experience. And when done right, it can dramatically improve engagement, reduce employee turnover and even boost productivity long-term.  

Yes, it’s an investment but it’s one that pays off over time. 

Case Study: From Slides to Smiles with a Global Irish Client 

One of our large long-term partners, a leading Irish organisation, recognised this gap in their induction process. Each month they welcome cohorts of new hires across multiple departments and units.

The Challenge? Make sure each person walks away from onboarding: 

• Understanding the company values and processes 
• Feeling connected to their peers and managers 
• Confident and ready to contribute 
• Aligned with the culture, not just informed about it  

Our solution? A monthly custom-made team building challenge that transforms onboarding into something people actually look forward to.  

We take key induction content and weave it into an immersive gamified experience. Each month, new hires and employees moving departments complete team challenges that mirror real working scenarios in a fun, pressure free environment. 

By the end of the session, employees leave laughing with newfound friends and feeling more informed about the induction day. It’s a process in which they start to build a level of trust with the people they’ll be working with.  

What makes Our Onboarding Sessions for New Employees Different?  

We focus on human first design, because no one remembers what was on slide 72, but they remember who made them feel welcome.  

Whether you’re onboarding in person, remotely or with hybrid teams we offer: 

• Immersive Induction Experiences 
• Interactive Team Building 
• Scalable Formats 
• Remote Ready Options 
• Culture Driven Content 

Why It Matters More Than Ever  

Technology may have streamlined many parts of inductions, but it’s also stripped away some of the human touch. Thats why reintroducing human centred onboarding activities is more than just a nice to have it’s essential. 

When you bring people together intentionally whether it’s grads, interns or senior promotions you can increase engagement and lay the groundwork for long term success. 

And in talent market where people are reevaluating what they want from work, that connection form day one could make all the difference 

Don't Let Onboarding Become a Tick-Box Exercise 

If you’re onboarding process feels like a checklist, people are going to start to feel lost. But when it feel like an experience they feel seen, supported and ready to dive int their job 

We’re here to help you turn your induction session into something meaningful, memorable and measurable. 

👉 Ready to build a better onboarding experience? 

Let’s talk about how to bring your values and your people to life, on day one.  

📧 Email Us: info@dynamicevents.ie☎️ Call Us: 01 270 9268🗣️ Live Chat: Live Chat with Our Event Specialist

Dynamic Events Ireland  

Experts in onboarding experiences that work, for real people in real organisations. 

Explore More Onboarding Ideas 

Looking to build a stronger employee experience from day one? 

📍 Explore our onboarding programmes 
📍 Read how onboarding activities help new employees thrive in week one 
📍 See why team building belongs in every induction programme 
📍 Discover onboarding activities tailored to Dublin-based teams 
📍 Learn how digital treasure hunts enhance onboarding 
📍 Improve your onboarding process with experiential team building