50+ Best Employee Onboarding Survey Questions to Ask New Hires

Spot Problems Before They Become Deal Breakers 

New Hires won’t tell you the issues they face upfront, but these small issues sometimes become the reason why they leave. Early onboarding surveys can reveal these minor frustrations before they become significant issues. 

Let’s say a new hire has no idea how to use your project management tool and he is too shy to ask. An early survey could reveal this, allowing you to arrange extra training sessions before he feels completely lost. 

Keep New Employees Excited About Their Decision 

People join the company excitedly, but if your onboarding process is overwhelming and dull, the spark just disappears quickly. Onboarding surveys help you measure the level of engagement that new hires feel with the workplace. For example, if an employee says they don’t feel they belong here, you must introduce new team-building activities or a mentorship program to address that. 

Ensure New Hires Have the Tools and Support They Need 

A common onboarding mistake? HR and managers assume that new hires are fully equipped for their jobs. Onboarding surveys help new hires clarify their role, responsibilities, and the resources available to support them. Based on the feedback, you can introduce training sessions to show them a more precise roadmap.

Reduce That Painful Early Turnover 

Here’s a harsh reality: 30% of new employees quit within their first 90 days due to a poor onboarding process and lack of support, making them feel they have made a wrong decision. Onboarding surveys help you identify the main issue and prevent costly turnovers. 

Here’s a hack to reduce turnover: Break the onboarding process into small, digestible steps so employees don’t feel they are drowning. 

Measure and Track Onboarding Success Over Time 

What gets measured gets improved.  Onboarding surveys provide data-driven insights into main issues to refine the onboarding process for future hires. 

For example, if multiple responses indicate that employees are confused about company policies, HR can simplify and clarify onboarding documents to ensure future hires feel informed from day one.

Score-Based Survey Questions  

Score-based survey questions are best for measuring and tracking employee satisfaction over time. Employees rate their experience using scales  (e.g., 1-5 or 1-10), turning subjective feelings into numerical data. 

Examples:

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• On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate orientation? 
• How likely are you to recommend us to friends as a great workplace based on the onboarding process? 
• On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate the clarity of your job responsibilities?

Open-Ended Survey Questions 

These survey questions allow employees to express themselves freely and honestly by providing detailed feedback on their challenges during onboarding. Airbnb found that 40% of new hires struggled with IT setup during their first week using an Open-Ended Survey, so they took action by improving their tech onboarding process.

Examples:

• What was the most confusing part of the onboarding process? 
• What additional support would have made your onboarding process smooth?
• What challenges did you face in the first week of your job? 

Multiple-Choice Survey Questions 

Multiple-choice questions present a list of answers to choose from. These questions help identify common issues quickly and make it easier to respond without too much effort.

Examples:

Which part of your onboarding process was the most helpful?

a) Company culture training
b) Job-specific training
c) IT and system setup
d) Manager support

Which of these areas needs the most improvement?
a) First-day orientation
b) Communication with HR
c) Training materials

Binary Survey Questions  

Binary surveys consist of simple Yes/ No and Agree/ Disagree questions to obtain quick, high-level responses. They measure whether the basic goals of the onboarding process are met. 

Examples

• Did you get all the necessary tools to get started on your job? 
• Do you feel welcomed by your team? 
• Do you agree with the statement that the onboarding process meets your expectations? 

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Preboarding Survey Questions For New Hires 

1. Do you receive all the necessary information required before joining? 
2. What motivated you to accept this job offer?
3. What are you most excited about in your new role?
4. Have you received the details of your first day's schedule? 
5. Is there anything specific you’d like to learn before your first day?

Onboarding Survey Questions For First-Day & First-Week Experience

6. How was your first day in the company? 
7. Have you set your goals for this year? 
8. How interactive and engaging was the orientation program? 
9. What’s your favorite part of the boarding process so far? 
10. State the reasons why you joined this company.
11. Are there any company policies or procedures you’d like more clarity on?
12. Did you feel welcomed by your team and manager?
13. Was your workstation or IT setup ready when you arrived?
14. What aspects of your job excites you most? 
15. How effective was the employee onboarding presentation in preparing you for your role?
16. Have you had a one-on-one meeting with your manager?
17. Are you confident in your skills to meet the goals set for you during your onboarding?

Onboarding Survey Questions After First 30 Days 

18.  What’s the biggest challenge you’ve encountered so far?
19. Did the company meet your expectations during this first month?
20. How comfortable do you feel reaching out to managers and teammates when needing help? 
21. How helpful has your onboarding mentor been?
22. Did you get adequate training sessions to perform your job effectively? 
23. How effective are communication channels within your team?
24. How would you rate the company culture based on your experience so far?
25. How well do you understand your role compared to when you started?
26. How well does your role match the job description?
27. Would you recommend this company to a friend looking for a job? 
28. On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with your job? 
29. How strongly do you agree with the statement " I understand how my role contributes to the organizational goals."
30. I feel very valued member of my team.
31. Do you see a clear path for growth and career development?

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Onboarding Survey Questions After 3 Months 

32. Have your responsibilities changed since you started?
33. Are there any hurdles that prevent you from excelling in your role?
34. Have you built good relationships with your colleagues? 
35. Would you confidently tell a friend joining the company that their first days will be smooth and stress-free?
36. What do you like most about working here?
37. What could make your work experience even better?
38. Do you see yourself growing in this company? 
39. How strongly do you agree with " I receive frequent feedback from  my manager."
40. Do you agree that the onboarding process prepared you for your role?
41. If you were to leave today, what would be the primary reason?
42. What's the most valuable lesson you've learned in your first nine months?

Onboarding Survey Questions for Remote Employees

43. How effective has remote communication been so far?
44. Do you feel connected to the team despite the remote setting? 
45. Do you have access to all the information you need? 
46. Have you faced any IT or technical challenges while working remotely?
47. Do you feel as productive working remotely as you would in an office?
48. What can we do to better support remote employees?
49. On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with the remote onboarding experience?

Fun Onboarding Survey Questions for New Hires

50. If you had to sum up your first week here in a GIF, what would it be?
51. What’s your go-to work productivity hack?
52. If our company were a movie, what genre would it be?
53. If you could create an official company holiday, what would it be for?
54. What’s your personal motto or life philosophy?
55. If you had to explain your job to a 5-year-old, how would you describe it?
56. Have any funny or memorable moments from your time here so far? We’d love to hear them!

How often should we conduct onboarding surveys? 

It’s best to collect feedback at multiple touchpoints before the start date, after the first week, 30 days in, and at 60 or 90 days.

How can we encourage new hires to complete surveys? 

Keep surveys short, use engaging formats, and emphasize that their feedback will lead to real improvements.

Why should we conduct an employee onboarding satisfaction survey? 

It helps identify gaps in training, workplace culture, and job expectations, ensuring a smoother transition for new hires.