Get employee feedback on your onboarding process by using these sample survey questions
Learn how you can improve the onboarding process for new employees.
Onboarding process evaluation: Why you should do it
A lack of effective onboarding processes is one of the most common reasons for new hires leaving their organizations. You may have established procedures to welcome new employees, but you cannot know whether they are effective unless you ask new hires about them. Surveys can be used to measure the effectiveness of your onboarding process for new hires. You will benefit from these surveys in the following ways:
- In order to provide a warm welcome to your new team members and assist them with their new responsibilities, revamp your onboarding process. Identify what is working and what could be improved.
- Ensure that employees are receiving the training they require: Different employees require different types of training to help them adjust to their new roles, and this survey provides an opportunity to discuss these needs with them.
- Maintain employee retention: By identifying issues your employees face on the job, you have the opportunity to offer the appropriate resources and guidance to resolve them.
Here are some sample questions for the onboarding process survey for new employees
- Who did you meet during your first day? Please list who welcomed you upon your arrival and any 1:1 and/or group meetings you participated in.
- What would have made your first day better?
- A detailed office tour
- More help with computer setup
- A team lunch
- Other: __________
- How would you rate your understanding of the expectations of your job?
- Clear
- Somewhat clear
- Not clear
- There was no clarity on job expectations
- Were you given all necessary resources to perform your job duties? (including hardware, software, stationery, guidelines)
- Yes, I was given everything I needed in advance.
- I was given most of the necessary resources.
- I was given some resources, but had to ask for the rest.
- I was barely given any resources.
- Please rate the following statement: “Training during my first [week/month] was helpful.”
- Strongly agree. After my training, I was well-prepared to take on all of my job duties.
- Agree. I understood most parts of my job.
- Disagree. My training was rushed or poorly executed and I didn’t learn anything about my new role
- Strongly disagree. I didn’t get any training or my training was irrelevant to my job.
- How would you rate the duration of your orientation process?
- Long. I could have taken on my tasks earlier.
- Short. I had many questions afterwards.
- Just about right. I was given enough time and guidance to settle into my new role.
- There was no orientation. I did not have any formal orientation process.
- What would you have liked us to share with you before your first day? Select as many as apply:
- Company policies
- Organizational chart
- Dress code
- Your team members’ names and roles
- Other: _______
- Please rate the following statement: “I understand how my job performance will be evaluated.”
- Strongly agree
- Agree
- Disagree
- Strongly disagree
- If a friend of yours was going to start working with us, what would you tell them to expect during their first day and week?
How to set up an onboarding process survey
Some new hires may feel uncomfortable discussing their manager and the hiring team during the onboarding process first days at work. And forced answers won’t help you improve the onboarding process. It is important that employees understand the purpose of the onboarding survey in order to receive genuine and unbiased feedback. Rather than blaming anyone for wrongdoing, it is about assisting future new hires in adjusting to their roles and the company. Discuss the onboarding process with new employees one-on-one, explain the process and then discuss the specifics of their experience. To collect anonymous feedback, consider using online survey tools, such as Typeform and Google Forms. When onboarding a large group of new employees, use these types of surveys to ensure anonymity. Here are some tips to help you build an effective onboarding survey: Establish trust. When employees feel confident that you are using their feedback appropriately, they are more likely to share honest feedback. Explain that you wish to ensure that they have everything they need in order to perform their duties as well as to improve your hiring process for future employees. Make sure to note that their answers will not be used against them. Don’t survey too late. It is possible you may receive vague answers if you wait months before you ask employees about their onboarding experience The majority of details have been forgotten. Additionally, uncovering potential problems before they become more serious is in your organization’s best interest.
It is also important not to conduct the survey too early. There is no such thing as an overnight onboarding process. Give new hires the time to settle into their role and then ask for their feedback. This will provide you with valuable input, so you will know whether to take any action (for example, provide more training to your new hire). To get a complete understanding of new employees’ onboarding experience, consider checking in with them after their first week, 30 days and 60 days.experience.
A method for evaluating the responses to surveys related to the onboarding process
- Pay attention to issues that are frequently discussed. As an example, if you receive negative feedback from employees of a specific department, you might wish to train the manager of this department on how to properly onboard new employees. If you often hear that your company policies are not clear enough, you may want to consider rewriting them.
- Focus on areas where improvements can be made. When it comes to sharing what they didn’t like about their onboarding experience, new employees may hesitate, particularly if they must criticize their manager or team. In order to improve your process, you should direct your questions in that direction. Consequently, you will be able to identify if something malfunctions and determine ways to make the first day of employment for your new employees more pleasant.
- Ensure that employees are kept informed. Reach out to employees who reported a less positive or incomplete onboarding experience, particularly those who stated they had a less positive experience. You should follow-up with them to find out why things went wrong, make up for what they missed (for example, repeat a training session if necessary) and thank them for their feedback.
