The first day at a new job can be stressful, exciting or a mix of both. That all depends on where you work and how your company treats new hires.
That’s why these five Chicago tech companies go out of their way to welcome new employees into their culture with intense initiations.
Calling each new hire “Jan” for a month
At most companies, your first day is a shot at breaking the ice and making a great first impression. But at Jackal Interactive, that day doesn’t come until at least week five.
That’s because they call each new employee “Jan” for an entire month, regardless of gender or willingness to go along with the joke.
“It was funny for a while, but got really old after a couple days — it’s hard to build camaraderie with your new team when they won’t even acknowledge your name,” said Jan Connor, a recruiter.
Sleeping at the CEO’s house
Squattr’s whole business model relies on the hospitality of strangers, so it’s fitting that all new hires are required to stay at the CEO’s house for the first week they work there.
“It’s really nice of Charles to be so open to newcomers,” said Julie Navarro, who interned with the company last summer before accepting an entry level position in the marketing department in September. “His family was really cool about it.”
Rooftop trust falls
We know what you’re thinking. This is a little crazy, maybe even dangerous. But that’s the world Anchor Analytics lives in — fast paced, adrenaline-charged and cloud-based risk assessment for property and casualty policies in the long-distance trucking insurance industry.
To give their new employees a taste for the thrilling career that lay before them, Anchor executives take them for a tour of the office rooftop on their first day, then invite them to step up on the ledge and lean over it while co-workers stand beside them and on the street below, arms outstretched.
“There was a minute there where I thought, you know, I could die right now,” said Joel Gallagher, a recent recruit from the Kellogg School of Management. “But it’s awesome to know my team is there for me.”
Free Zip Drive
This one sounds a little too good to be true, but we verified: Cowpie Creative staffers each receive a fully operational Zip Drive after their first week of employment at the digital design firm.
The superfloppy drives, which were introduced by Iomega in 1994 and connect to a computer via SCSI, parallel or USB port (depending on availability) were rated by PC World as both the 15th worst (2006) and 23rd best (2007) piece of technology of all time.
Massage tunnel
Every Bendo Box employee remembers his or her first day. That’s not just because it’s the day each one started a career in the subscription box industry, but also because their first time entering the office, they were greeted by sixty hands simultaneously administering a relaxing massage. 
“I’m not into that stuff,” said Antoine Johnson, who joined the company after relocating to Chicago from Atlanta earlier this year. “But it’s your first day, so you want to be cool. I just kind of went along with it.”
Are we missing something good? Know about an Chicago tech company with killer culture, or looking for a job at one? Get in touch.
