Likely Normal

The first day on a new job is full of awkward introductions, a firehose of information, and the soul-crushing weight of a hundred-page HR manual. You’re handed a stack of forms and a login for a training module that was last updated during the dial-up era. Companies spend millions on crafting perfect policies and procedures, and, while those are completely necessary and something I wholly advocate, culture isn’t built through compliance and neat bullet points.  It’s forged in the moments of shared (maybe slightly embarrassing) fun.

It might be silly, but maybe more orientations should include a little fun too.  A shared, mildly awkward experience does what a thousand onboarding slides never could: it instantly breaks down barriers. It’s hard to maintain a facade of aloof perfection when you’re fumbling next to your new deskmate to the Cha Cha. That shared chuckle, the collective “we’re all in this together” feeling…that’s the bedrock of camaraderie. It creates a psychological safety that allows teams to later navigate real challenges without fear of judgment.

A team that Cha-Chas together, stays together.