40+ Questions You Should Ask In Your Employee Onboarding Survey

As a responsible HR manager or a corporate trainer, even though you put a lot of effort into welcoming new hires, it is always good to double-check if it’s really effective. In the field of corporate training, we tirelessly work to ensure a smooth and welcoming onboarding experience for new hires. We curate thoughtful programs, provide dedicated support, and go the extra mile to make them feel part of the team. But how do we know if our efforts are truly effective? The answer lies in the data. The essential role of a manager is to check the statistics and analyze employee performance on a regular basis. 

How, you mighty ask? The best way to ensure that your new employees are properly trained and feel well-settled and welcomed is by conducting post-onboarding survey questions to measure employee onboarding success.

The employee onboarding survey questions help you identify areas where your onboarding process needs a bit of refinement and analyze areas where training and support can be enhanced for your team members. A recent study by Gallup found that only 12% of employees strongly believe that their organization does a great job in the onboarding of new employees. 

According to Digitate, a negative onboarding experience can make new employees twice as likely to resign and look for other job opportunities in the market. So it is important to conduct an onboarding survey every now and then, as it may not only help you improvise the process but also spot dissatisfied new employees who are at risk of quitting their jobs at your organization.

Well, worry not! In this blog, we understand what exactly is an onboarding survey, explore different examples of onboarding survey questions, the benefits of onboarding surveys for new hires, and how to make sure you get the best survey responses.

What is an Employee Onboarding Survey?

Imagine you just hired a new team member; let's call her Sarah. You spent weeks interviewing her, and you're excited to see her showcase her skills at the workplace. You want to make sure she feels welcome and sets herself up for success. Onboarding is all about that—showing her the ropes, introducing her to the team, and making sure she has everything she needs to hit the ground running.

But even after all that effort, how do you really know if onboarding worked? Did Sarah feel overwhelmed or lost at any point? Did she get to know her colleagues? This is where employee onboarding surveys come in.

Many organizations provide employee onboarding survey questions, which is an effective feedback strategy used to gather real-time feedback from new employees post-onboarding. This robust survey strategy helps organizations seamlessly measure the effectiveness of their onboarding process from the perspective of new hires who have had firsthand experience. 

What is the Importance of Employee Onboarding Survey Questions?

Research says that around 38% of employees quit work because of a poor onboarding process. This is why it is essential to understand the root cause of the issue and enhance the onboarding experience for new hires. 

Conducting surveys after the new hires have been onboarded allows you to prepare a compiled analysis chart to measure what worked and what can be improved. L&D experts, in particular, should ensure that the onboarding process is engaging, interactive, and effective for each individual in the company. 

On top of that, these surveys can tell you if your new hires are feeling ready to take on their respective roles. By understanding their satisfaction level with the onboarding process, you can determine how well-equipped they feel to succeed in their roles. As per the research, around 69% of employees are likely to stick with the company for at least three years if they experience great onboarding and receive clear expectations and feedback right from the start. 

A strong onboarding experience is key to building a positive, safe, and engaged company culture. Onboarding employees is like building a bridge—it takes time to get it right! But by asking the right questions, you can build a strong foundation with your new hires and get the most valuable feedback.

L&D teams can get the best feedback by asking a mix of these question types:

• Experience questions
• Knowledge and skills gap questions
• 1–10 scale feeling questions
• Open-ended questions 

Now, let us find out the best examples of onboarding survey questions to ask your new employees.

45 Examples of Onboarding Survey Questions To Ask Your New Employees

Onboarding programs can vary depending on the department or role a new employee is filling. To get the most useful feedback, your post-onboarding surveys should be adjusted to match these different experiences.

The questions you ask should be clear and easy to answer. They should also be targeted to the specific team or department the new hire is working in. This will allow you to gather both general (quantitative) data, like how many people found the training materials helpful, and specific (qualitative) information, like what topics new hires in a particular department wish they had learned more about during onboarding.

By collecting this kind of feedback, your HR team can learn what's working well and what needs improvement and use that information to make your onboarding program even better.

Here’s our curated list of questions to ask new hires, categorized into three different parts:

• Questions to ask them in the first week
• Questions to ask them in the first month
• Questions to ask them once the onboarding has wrapped up

Questions to ask them in the first week

1. On a scale of 1–5 (1= not at all, 5= extremely), how welcomed did you feel during your onboarding week?
2. Do you feel you have a clear understanding of your role and responsibilities? If not, what areas would you like more clarification on?
3. How comfortable do you feel introducing yourself and interacting with your colleagues?
4. Rate the helpfulness of the training materials and sessions you received during onboarding. (1= = not helpful; 5= = very helpful)
5.  Did you have access to the resources and support you needed during your first week? If not, what was missing?
6. Were you comfortable using the company software and tools introduced during onboarding? If not, which ones would you like more training on?
7. Did your overall onboarding experience meet your expectations?
8. Is there anything else you'd like to share about your onboarding experience, positive or negative?
9. What are you most looking forward to learning more about in your role?
10. How can we improve communication with you moving forward?
11. Is the workload you've experienced so far manageable? What adjustments could we make to help you feel more supported, if not?
12. Do you feel clear on the short-term goals and priorities for your role? Would you like to discuss these further with your manager?
13. Looking back at your first week, did anything about the onboarding process surprise you or fall short of your expectations? If so, please elaborate.
14. On a scale of 1–5, how comfortable do you feel introducing yourself and asking questions of your colleagues?
15. How comfortable do you feel reaching out to your manager with questions or concerns?

Questions to ask them in the first month

1. Did the onboarding process have a comfortable pace?
2. What was your favorite part of the onboarding process? 
3. What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve encountered to date?
4. How often have you felt you’ve been without direction and unsure of what to do or where to find the answers?
5. Do you understand how your role contributes to the overall business goal?
6. Do you have any questions about your job duties?
7. What have you learned since your first survey that you wish you had learned earlier?
8. Do you feel a sense of work-life balance? If not, what might need to change?
9. Did we meet your expectations during this first month? If so, how? If not, what was missing?
10. How confident are you in using the tools required for your role?
11. Did the first 30-day onboarding process meet your expectations?
12. How would you rate your satisfaction with working with your co-workers?
13. How do you feel about our organizational values?
14. How would you rate your level of productivity at every shift?
15. What did you wish you’d been told before you started your job?

Questions to ask them once the onboarding has wrapped up

1. Building a good rapport with your manager is important. Share any positive experiences you've had working with your manager this month.
2. Have you had opportunities to connect with your team members outside of your immediate work tasks?
3. Did onboarding help you feel confident in your ability to do your job? Briefly explain your answer.
4. Would you describe the length of onboarding as too long, too short, or just the right amount of time?
5. Were there any important topics or skills you felt were missing from your onboarding experience? If so, what was it?
6. What, if anything, did you feel was missing from your onboarding experience that would have been helpful to know from the start?
7. Taking everything into account, on a scale of 1–10, how well did onboarding set you up for success in your new role?
8. What are some of the biggest learning curves you experienced when you first started here?
9. If there was a job opening in our company, would you recommend it to your friends and family?
10. What aspects of your role do you like and dislike so far?
11. As you think about your future career path here, are there any specific skills or certifications you'd like to pursue? How can we support you in achieving those goals?
12. Do you see yourself working here 2 years from now?
13. Is there anything we missed asking about onboarding in the past? What additional information would be helpful for us to know?
14. What communication issues have you had that need to be fixed?
15. On a scale of 1–5, how proud do you feel to work for our organization?  

Benefits of Onboarding Survey Questions

Onboarding is all about setting new hires up for success. But how do you know if your program is hitting the mark? Onboarding survey questions are like the compass, navigating the new hires to experience a seamless onboarding process and helping your team gain valuable insights into what worked well and where you can improve. 

Here is how onboarding survey questions benefit your organization:

1. Improved Onboarding Program

Identify Gaps & Strengths: 

Surveys can reveal aspects of onboarding that new hires find particularly helpful or valuable. This could be anything from a well-organized welcome package to a strong mentorship program. Once you know what works well, you can ensure these practices are consistently delivered and even serve as a model for improving other areas. 

Knowing which areas need improvement allows you to invest resources strategically. This could involve developing new training modules, assigning dedicated mentors, or even restructuring the onboarding timeline to provide a smoother transition.

Tailored Onboarding: 

One size rarely fits all, and onboarding is no exception. By understanding the specific needs and experiences of your new hires, you can tailor onboarding elements to create a more impactful and relevant experience for each department or role.

Surveys can reveal the specific skills and knowledge required for success in different roles. Marketing hires might need social media training, while engineers might benefit from coding boot camps. So, tailoring your onboarding content ensures new hires receive the precise information they need to hit the ground running.

2. Increased Employee Engagement & Retention

Building a Two-Way Street:

According to a survey conducted by Glassdoor, onboarding programs improve a company’s retention rate by 82% if conducted properly. When you ask for feedback, you demonstrate a willingness to listen to new hires' voices. This sends a powerful message that their opinions and experiences matter, fostering a sense of respect and value.

Onboarding surveys open a two-way communication channel. New hires can express concerns or suggestions they might not feel comfortable voicing directly. This fosters a sense of openness and transparency, making them feel more like valued members of the team from day one, thus enhancing employee engagement and retention rate in the company.

Proactive Problem-Solving:

Onboarding survey questions uncover common pain points experienced by new hires during onboarding. These could range from feeling overwhelmed with information to lacking access to necessary equipment. So, as a learning and development specialist, you could address these problems by creating microlearning modules and gamifying their training experience, thus allowing new hires to absorb information at their own pace. 

This allows you to take ownership conduct mentorship programs and provide proper guidance, bridging the identified gaps in the onboarding process.

3. Retention Rates & The Ripple Effect

Reduced Turnover:

The less often you need to replace employees, the less you spend on recruitment and onboarding. When you retain your employees, it means you retain their knowledge, skills, and experience. This leads to a more productive workforce. High employee turnover can be a major drain on any company's resources. Given the significant cost of replacing a single employee that could be incurred, including recruitment, lost productivity, and the time consumed in the training program, it is essential to cultivate a positive onboarding experience for new hires.

A well-designed onboarding program shows new hires they are valued members of the team from day one. This fosters a sense of belonging and increases their investment in the company's success. Feeling supported throughout onboarding reduces anxiety and increases confidence in their ability to succeed in their roles.

How do I get the Best Onboarding Survey Responses?

New-hire surveys are a goldmine of valuable insights, but simply asking the right questions isn't enough. To truly benefit from these surveys, business owners and HR experts recommend several key strategies:

• Launch the surveys at the right time (when the new hires have settled in well)
• Keep the surveys short and sweet
• Combine different types of questions to gather detailed information
• Go beyond yes-and-no questions to ensure they don’t skip the question
• Encourage them to share honest feedback
• Express the value of their feedback for future onboarding processes

Accelerate Your Employee Onboarding Process With Calibr

Employee onboarding survey questions are one of the best ways to measure the effectiveness of your onboarding program in the organization. It helps you find out the areas requiring improvement and gain insights into what your new employees feel like, about the company. 

So, if you are looking for an easy way to create surveys and conduct employee training, utilize Calibr.ai’s robust GenAI platform to create effective onboarding programs, and conduct compliance training, behavioral training, and life skills development training programs to upskill your employees in their training journey. With the ready-to-access course modules, you can now provide a seamless learning experience to your employees. Request a free demo to learn more!

FAQs

1. Why are onboarding surveys important?

Onboarding survey questions help you identify areas for improvement in your onboarding program, leading to a more positive experience for new hires. This can increase engagement, retention, and overall employee satisfaction.

2. When should I send an onboarding survey?

Send the survey after the first week or two, when new hires have had a chance to settle in but before their initial impressions fade.

3. How long should my onboarding survey be?

Keep it short and sweet! Aim for 10 questions or less to avoid overwhelming new hires and ensure thoughtful responses.

4. What types of questions should I ask?

Use a mix of question formats, such as multiple-choice, rating scales, and open-ended questions. This allows you to gather both quantitative and qualitative data.

5. What are some common pain points uncovered by onboarding surveys?

New hires might report feeling overwhelmed with information, lacking access to necessary equipment, or unclear about expectations.

6. How can Calibr.ai help me?

Calibr.ai’s AI-powered course-authoring platform allows you to easily create and conduct employee onboarding surveys. You can also use Calibr.ai to develop and deliver effective onboarding training programs, ensuring a smooth and successful transition for new hires.