Get feedback from your employees by using these sample onboarding process survey questions.
Onboarding process evaluation: Why you should do it
New hires often leave their employers because of poor onboarding processes. In spite of the fact that you may have set up procedures to welcome new employees, you cannot know whether they are effective unless you ask them. Onboarding process surveys can be used to measure the effectiveness of new employee training. 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.
- Identify the employee’s individual training needs: Different employees require different types of training to help them adjust to their new roles, and this survey provides an opportunity to discuss these requirements.
- 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.
Sample onboarding process survey questions for new hires
- 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?
Setting up a survey for the onboarding process
During the first few days at work, new employees may feel uncomfortable speaking about their manager and the hiring team. The onboarding process cannot be improved by forcing answers. It is important to ensure that employees understand the purpose of the onboarding survey in order to obtain unbiased and genuine feedback. In this case, the goal is not to blame anyone for wrongdoing, but to assist future new employees in adjusting to their roles and the organization. Meet with new employees one-on-one to explain the onboarding process and discuss the specifics of their experience. If you feel they might be holding back, consider using online survey tools, like Typeform and Google Forms to collect anonymous feedback. To guarantee anonymity, use these types of surveys when you’re onboarding a large group of new hires.
To assist you in creating an effective onboarding process survey, here are a few tips:
- Trust should be built. If employees feel confident that you are using their feedback in a responsible manner, they will share their honest opinions with you. Make it clear that you want to ensure they have everything they need to perform their tasks, as well as improve your overall hiring process for your next hires. Ensure that they are aware that their answers will not be used against them.
- Surveys should not be conducted too late. If you wait months before asking employees about their onboarding experience, you may receive vague responses as they may have forgotten most of the details. Furthermore, it is in your company’s best interest to identify potential problems before they become serious.
- You should also avoid conducting surveys too early. The process of onboarding does not take place in a single day. Give new hires time to adjust to their new roles before asking for their feedback. Therefore, you will be able to gather valuable information and determine if you need to take any action (for example, provide further training to your new employee). In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of new employees’ onboarding experience, consider checking in with them at the end of their first week, 30 days, and 60 days.
A method for evaluating the responses to surveys related to the onboarding process
- Pay attention to issues that are frequently discussed. In the event that you receive negative feedback from employees of a particular department, you may wish to train the manager of that department on the proper method of onboarding new team members. If your company policies are not clear enough, consider rewriting them.
- Focus on areas where improvements can be made. New employees might hesitate to disclose things they didn’t enjoy about their onboarding, particularly if they have to share something negative about their manager or team. So, target your questions on how to improve your process. This way, you can understand if something malfunctions and figure out ways to make your new hires’ first days smoother.
- Ensure that employees are followed up with. Reach out to employees who expressed a less positive or incomplete experience in the onboarding process to demonstrate that you value their opinions. Follow up with them Ask them what went wrong, make up for what they missed (for example, repeat a training session if necessary) and thank them for their feedback.
