It is important to ask employee onboarding survey questions to improve employee retention rates. This contributes to overall employee satisfaction and productivity in the organization.
Imagine a new employee joining and leaving the company just in a few weeks!
The first few weeks are highly crucial in the journey of a new employee at any organization. These days decide whether the employee is going to stay or not for long.
Every organization plans to have a frictionless employee onboarding process. This is to ensure that the new hires get accustomed to the new environment and new coworkers.
The moment an employee enters any new organization, they have to deal with a lot of things, new faces, new processes, technologies, documentation, etc. Everything about this journey can get overwhelming. The employee shall take some time to settle down. Onboarding surveys help these new hires work smoothly without getting overwhelmed with everything around them.
What Is an Employee Onboarding Survey?
Employee onboarding surveys are also known as new hire surveys. This is a systematic approach that an organization takes to measure the satisfaction level the newly joined employees have experiences in the following areas:
- Recruiting
- Hiring
- Starting at organization
HRs and other associated managers utilize employee onboarding surveys to understand that they have successfully above mentioned processes. The onboarding survey includes questions that the new employees have to answer. These new hire survey questions can be anything from the day when they first found out about the company to the first day of their job or even later stages.
Employee onboarding surveys are carried out at different stages of an employee’s journey in the organization, for example — the first week, the first month, 3rd month, etc. It’s the organization’s responsibility to ensure smooth employee onboarding so that the investment made in the whole process can be realized successfully.
Note that the employee onboarding process is different from the orientation process. The latter includes gathering all employees in a place (in a hall) on the first day and handing over HR forms and company assets. This whole process concludes within a day. However, the onboarding process can extend to a year and pass through several scrutiny stages.
Organizations collect feedback from their employees using the employee onboarding survey. This is a two–way process where employees share their experiences, and organizations look further to bridge any gap that exists. The easiest way to carry out this onboarding feedback survey is via email.
HR managers share the invitations. Another reason to send invitations is to notify all the new employees. This also increases the survey response rate. It is a fact that out of all the surveys carried out by an organization, this one results in a higher response rate.
Why Are Employee Onboarding Surveys Important?
Employee onboarding helps the new employee understand and soak into the environment. Once done, they can start working immediately without any doubt, with a focus on quality. This way, the new hires are introduced to the organization, its culture, people, etc. And they will feel like being an integral part of the place.
The feedback new hires give can help you shape a lot of new strategies and improve the process for the future. These new employees may hesitate to give a bad impression by providing negative feedback, but you must make them understand how their feedback is going to be processed.
The early feedback puts you in a position where you can oversee a lot of scopes for improvisation. A right and positive onboarding experience better builds relationships, and brings a positive outlook.
Careerbuilder and Silkroad Technology conducted a survey which highlighted that
1 in 10 people have left a company due to poor onboarding experience.
A negative onboarding experience leads to poor productivity, rise in employee turnover and reduced employee engagement. Thus, a successful onboarding experience turns new hires into loyal employees and makes them feel like a part of the team. The organization invests a lot in training them and providing them with enough knowledge and support they need to be productive.
Onboarding acclimatizes new employees to the new environment. Once the new hires are acclimatized, they are more engaged, and engaged employees are more productive. Organizations with more engaged employees have better productivity. Here are some positive elements:
- Better profits
- Low employee turnover
- Better safety records
- Better product
- Better evaluations
45 Employee Onboarding Survey Questions to Ask
New employee survey questions differ from place to place and situation to situation. You won’t find anything that is one-size-fits when you start exploring. Most of the time, organizations develop onboarding questions specific to their requirements. However, you are free to include sample onboarding survey questions for new hires.
Before we take a look at employee onboarding survey questions, let’s first understand what type of questions you can include in the new hire survey.
Usually, there are 3 different types of questions we can ask in the onboarding questionnaire.
1. Open-Ended Onboarding Survey Questions
Open-ended questions allow the respondents to share their feelings and explain their answers. These survey questions for new hires require some time and effort. Since respondents can elaborate on their answers, the data collected isn’t just the stock answers.
2. Likert Scale Onboarding Survey Questions
This questionnaire format includes questions to be answered on a scale of 1 – 5. On this scale, 1 means strongly disagree, whereas the top score (i.e., 5) stands for strongly agree. This format lets the respondents put in their answers in more than two options.
3. Binary Survey Questions
This format includes questions where the respondents have two choices. They have to pick one that aligns with their feelings (i.e., yes or no). Since there are only two choices to pick, this format is also referred to as forced-choice questions.
We will divide the new hire onboarding survey questions into three different sections as per the onboarding phases. All these three sections will include questions from each category discussed above.
1. Pre-Onboarding Survey Questions
The employee journey starts way before the first day in the company. Thus, right from day one, companies should keep this in mind and find solutions to any loopholes if they existed during the entire process. This will also help you learn that you have to improve your hiring process. A concrete hiring process attracts the right fits.
Open-Ended Questions
- How did you get to know about our job posting?
- How much time did our HR team take to respond to your application?
- As per your observation, which stage of the recruitment process requires exclusivity to ensure that everything runs smoothly?
- As per your observation, which changes should we take to improve our hiring process?
- What, according to you, should be our strategy to make our recruitment process inclusive for all applicants?
Linked Scale-Based Questions
- I found the job application process to be easy to go through.
- I believe this JD aligns with my present role and responsibilities.
- I received insightful feedback from the interview panel.
- I am happy with the way my HR round was conducted.
- I am happy with the way my technical round was conducted.
Binary Questions
- Did you find the interview process entirely bias-free?
- Were you able to clearly understand the JD?
- Did the interview panel show respect for you throughout the interview process?
- Were all your questions answered constructively?
- Do you have any complaints/feedback for the person who conducted your interview?
2. Onboarding Survey Questions
Here are a few questions to be included in your next survey for new hires. Make sure that you can change, remove or add any question based on your requirements.
Open-Ended Questions
- After getting the job offer letter, how much time did you have to wait for the onboarding package?
- How would you describe the onboarding process in a short sentence?
- For how long should the employee onboarding process last?
- Are there any changes you would like to see in the onboarding process to make it smoother?
- Suggest some strategies to improve our onboarding process.
Likert Scale-Based Questions
- I clearly understand my job role and responsibilities.
- My manager has been a great support in settling down at this organization.
- My team members supported me a lot during my onboarding process.
- I think the onboarding process consumed too much time. It should have been of shorter duration to be effective.
- The first assignment I did helped me understand the roles and responsibilities of the job.
Binary Questions
- Were you assigned a buddy during your onboarding process?
- Do you find assigning a buddy a good idea?
- Did you receive the organization’s employee handbook both in soft and hard copies?
- Did your manager explain to you all the tools you need to use on your day-to-day basis?
- Did the HR clear your doubts/confusions throughout the onboarding process?
3. Post-Onboarding Survey Questions
Post-onboarding phase is as crucial as the onboarding process. Once the employee is completely settled in, understands everything, and has spent 3-4 months in the organization, the HR/reporting manager should communicate and check if everything is going smoothly as expected.
Open-Ended Onboarding Questions
- How would you like to receive feedback?
- Tell something about the buddy assigned to you.
- How would you like to be recognized for your work at the workplace?
- Is there anything that we can do to support you with your learning curve?
- What is your communication methodology?
Likert Scale-Based Questions
- I find the tools given to me for day-to-day use easy.
- My manager has been updating me with insightful feedback timely.
- My manager recognizes my work and appreciates my efforts.
- I have been able to develop positive and valuable relationships with my fellow team members.
- I feel safe working at this place, both physically and psychologically.
Binary Questions
- Do you believe our employee onboarding process could be flexible?
- Do you think we should change the buddy system and replace it with something better?
- Did you face any sort of bias at any point during the onboarding process?
- Do you think we should avoid stage 4 of the onboarding process?
- Do you think the current role and responsibilities can shape your future career path?
These are some sample new hire orientation survey questions to be asked to the employees during their onboarding.
5 Best Practices for Conducting Employee Onboarding Surveys
What if the data that you extracted from the survey is not accurate? You will end up wasting a lot of time and resources in carrying out the onboarding survey.
A lot has changed after the pandemic, where most organizations have gone remote. Some have taken a hybrid approach. In such situations, onboarding employees can be a challenge.
The questions in the new hire onboarding survey should be straightforward and not confuse the respondents. . The whole point of this exercise is that the employees should give honest and relevant answers.
No project runs smoothly without putting in some well-thought-out strategies. Here are some you must focus on while rolling out the onboarding experience survey.
1. Share Employee Onboarding Survey at the Right Time
Be it any survey; it only meets its purpose if you send it at the right time. The employee onboarding survey is no exception. Alright, so how do you decide the right time for an onboarding survey?
- Should you send it on the first day of joining?
- Should you send it within the first week of joining?
- Should you send it within the first month of joining?
- Should you send it within the first quarter of joining?
You know, it all differs from organization to organization. So, whatever onboarding policies you have, that’s perfect. However, ensure that you don’t make it too late. It won’t make any sense if you send the new hire onboarding survey after four months of joining. That’s an extended period, and who knows, you may even miss out on several crucial details.
How about automating your onboarding process? Automating the onboarding process streamlines a lot of things. Just a few things to highlight, and you are good to go!
2. Short and Simple
Including lengthy onboarding questionnaires in the survey will only lead to a low response rate. Chances are the employee will not answer correctly since it will become just another burden for them. Also, they may not have that much time that they will sit on filling up such a survey.
Also, the choice of questions contributes a lot to the survey’s response rate. If you ask confusing questions, that will lead to a similar situation mentioned above. Confusing questions and cumbersome surveys can frustrate employees.
Therefore, two things to keep in mind that are crucial to survey success are:
- Your employee onboarding survey should be short.
- You ask simple questions in the survey.
Avoid asking questions that are ambiguous and hard to understand.
A survey including a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions works best. The point is your survey should not make them feel like they are doing some university project.
3. Be Direct to Communicate the Purpose
Note that you are not missing the purpose of creating the new employee questionnaire. The primary aim here is to know their experiences during the entire hiring journey and overcome any challenges.
Encourage them to fill out the survey with honesty. Tell them how their feedback will serve as a milestone in improving the workplace for others as well. They should feel motivated and that their opinions will be considered.
The new employees may have certain doubts about this survey, such as:
- Will all the managers check the results or just the hiring managers?
- Is my feedback going to be confidential, or will you share it with everyone?
- Will my feedback improve the ongoing onboarding process, or is it for future employees?
Since the survey is going to be personal so you must inform the respondents the same clearly. The answers to the above-mentioned questions will surely influence them. You must gain their trust. And they will give you their honest feedback.
4. Conduct Online Survey
Still, using paper surveys? It’s high time that you should go online.
Online surveys are easy to respond to and easy to submit. Moreover, conducting employee onboarding surveys online streamlines a lot of things. The best thing is it simplifies the process and saves the employee’s time and effort. Plus, it saves resources.
Imagine an employee mistakenly answered 5 in place of 2! That’s not the case with online surveys. Also, you can eliminate the space constraint in online surveys.
Survey distribution is easiest when done online. Data collection and analysis are two more factors that are processed faster in online surveys. Using onion surveys helps you facilitate this whole process without too much hassle.
5. Create an Actionable Survey
Probably the most important tip for creating an employee onboarding survey is making the survey actionable. The outcome of the survey should bring actionable data. We all agree that this survey aims to understand how employees feel about the onboarding process so that the organization can improve it.
Therefore, the survey should focus on things that matter and have some meaning. This all depends on the kind of questions you ask in the survey.
Take a look at some sample statements that actually bring some valuable information.
- I am well aware of this organization’s culture, mission, and ethics.
- I am well aware of the benefits this organization offers me.
- I have received all the materials and equipment needed to complete my job.
- My manager transparently communicated the roles and responsibilities of my job.
Make sure that the onboarding does not just restrict to the orientation and survey. It should always be a part of a larger picture. The new hire orientation program has several pillars that strengthen the onboarding foundation. These include regular training, office activities, getting to know the organization and its resources, etc.
One more thing to keep in mind is to follow up. Don’t just abandon the surveys. You can send a reminder email to the employee and ask them to submit the survey. Or you can schedule an email to simplify things. Also, you should check if the employee needs any help or has something to say. Absence of communication will make the new employee feel abandoned.
A knowledge base can help you effectively process employee boarding. It makes the information (organization policies, roles and responsibilities, business functions, etc.) readily available. It further aids in collaboration and enhances productivity.
HRs can also use LMS to automate the onboarding process. Automating helps achieve compliance and facilitates better communication (which can be a challenge when onboarding several employees). This further helps the organization in performance tracking. Using the LMS, the HRs can check if the employees were able to understand the training.
What Are the Benefits of Employee Onboarding Surveys?
The first and foremost thing an organization has to ensure is that its employees are satisfied with the resources and environment. The organization then takes the necessary steps to put things in place.
Employee satisfaction is a step towards success. If employees aren’t satisfied, this is going to hamper a lot of other aspects of the organization’s functions.
In simple terms, the outcomes of onboarding surveys highlight things that are working and things that are not working at the workplace.
Employees stay longer when organizations carry out a smooth and successful onboarding process. Moreover, employees deliver work at a fast pace and recommend the organization to their friends and family.
We will discuss the benefits of the employee onboarding process.
1. Enhanced Employee Experience
How an organization carries out the onboarding process sets a tone for the whole employee experience. Considering it a highly sensitive phase of the employee journey, an organization has to put a lot of emphasis on development programs, organizational culture, colleagues, openness, timely updates, etc.
Having a smooth employee onboarding process keeps the employee stay, from hire to retirement. Timely updates make them feel that the organization thinks about them and that they are valued. Continuing with this treatment ensures a solid employee-organization relationship.
2. Better Employee Retention Rate
No organization would want its employees to leave within a month or two. Filling up the vacancy takes a huge amount of time and resources. Imagine an employee working on a crucial project and quitting the organization midway through it! The organization has to suffer a loss.
According to a report published by Gallup,
70% of employees said they had the best possible job because of exceptional onboarding experience.
The whole employee onboarding journey encompasses several stages (preboarding/postboarding). Every stage the new employee passes through, decides their stay in the organization. Spending at least 30 days with the new employees to ensure that they have settled in properly is a wonderful practice that adds to a better employee retention rate.
3. A Strong Organizational Culture
Hiring employees who rightly align with the organization’s culture strengthens its roots. Imagine hiring a person from a creative background (maybe an ad agency) at a top corporate organization. Following the roots of a typical sales corporate environment will be a challenge for such an employee who spent a long time working on his own terms.
When you share the job description, ensure that you transparently mention everything, i.e., the company’s vision, culture, ethics, etc., so that nothing remains covered. This will help you hire the right employees who can add to your company’s values and mission.
4. Improved Employee Engagement
Engaged employees are more productive than others leading to higher profits and turnovers. This adds to the overall organizational growth, leading to the employee’s professional growth as well. The more connected the employees feel during their onboarding process, the more they are likely to be engaged later on.
Take this hypothetical situation.
Jacob is a newly hired employee at MarTech Groups. On his first day at the company, his manager assigned a buddy, Sean.
Sean helped Jacob across all the phases. He helped Jacob learn about the company’s vision, ethics, etc., in detail. He also helped him understand the work and ensured that he faced no trouble at work.
Jacob realized that he was at the right place. He was motivated and enthusiastic. Within a month, he received his first recognition.
Doing so increases the employee engagement rate.
5. Frictionless Communication
Communication is an integral part of every organization’s functioning. Open and restriction-free communication that is reciprocated at the workplace adds to the confidence of the employees. The first day for sure can be a little challenging for many. Employee onboarding surveys remove assumptions from both ends, removing any confusion that may arise.
New employees will hesitate to share every good or bad feeling; thus, an onboarding survey helps new hires share what they feel. They can share their pain points through the hiring process to onboarding. The organization can take necessary steps to improve all the loopholes.
According to an article published in Harvard Business Review,
“New hires won’t succeed unless you onboard them successfully.”
A well-structured onboarding question survey helps the new hires as well as the managers. It enables socialized and personalized support whenever needed. Hiring managers can use Google Checklist to remind them about discussions with the new employees about their roles and responsibilities. Organizations can share help docs or other related documents that help employees understand the organization in detail. This streamlines a lot of things.
You can use an onboarding survey along with an engagement or 360-degree feedback survey. This way, you can capture onboarding feedback along with several other important data related to employee experience and engagement.
Right Strategy and Right Survey Tool Promises Successful Employee Onboarding Survey
So far, you must have understood why employee onboarding surveys are important and all strategies to conduct a successful onboarding survey.
Creating a successful onboarding survey not only requires the right strategies but the right tool also. You need a robust tool that will not only help you carry out the survey successfully but will also help you analyze the huge data with complete accuracy.
ProProfs Survey Maker is a feature-packed online survey tool with 100+ expert-designed survey templates and a library of 100k+ ready-to-use survey questions. You can use these templates to create your survey, or you can even build a survey from scratch. The tool lets you create surveys in a conversational style that engages the respondents. You can use one question at a time, or you can have all of them on a single page.
Save your time and effort! Happy employee onboarding.
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