21 Onboarding Survey Questions You Should Ask Your New Hires

nouvel employé fraichement recruté avec son équipe
Stories
Morgane Lança
February 27 2025

As the saying goes: you never get a second chance to make a first impression!

This holds true for new employees starting a role: their first days are crucial in shaping their relationship with their employer and the company.

As such, employee onboarding surveys are powerful tools to ensure you provide a positive onboarding experience for your recruits, setting the stage for long-term productivity and retention. Why are these surveys important, what should they include, and which questions are essential? Here are our tips and examples.

Why send onboarding surveys to your new employees?

First, you may wonder about the relevance of sharing onboarding surveys with your new hires.

The statistics are clear: 28% of new hires leave their job within just six months, while employees who experience effective onboarding programs are 69% more likely to stay with the company for three years.

First impressions are critical for building an employee experience that drives team productivity and happiness. By collecting feedback from new hires at the end of their onboarding process, you not only increase your chances of improving future onboarding plans, but also foster engagement across your workforce by implementing strategies aligned with their expectations.

What should your onboarding survey include?

To maximize effectiveness and relevance, you’ll want to tailor your onboarding surveys to reflect your organizational culture, strategic goals, and the type of position being filled. However, all onboarding surveys should include these key elements:

  • Linear scale questions: These provide clear and precise ratings on the quality of your onboarding process, making it easier to interpret and implement action plans.
  • Open-ended questions: They are crucial for gathering detailed and honest feedback, as they encourage new hires to elaborate on their answers.
  • Questions about administrative processes: Like all HR operations, employee onboarding involves numerous administrative steps. Simplify your practices by asking recruits about their experience receiving, understanding, and signing essential documents.
  • Questions about training and support: A new hire’s success depends on the training and guidance they receive during onboarding. Be sure to include questions about these aspects in your surveys.
  • Questions about satisfaction and company culture: One of the primary goals of a positive onboarding experience is to engage new hires during their first weeks. Don’t neglect questions about alignment with organizational values and overall engagement.

21 Questions to Include in Your Onboarding Surveys

Questions about the pre-boarding process

The onboarding process – and the first impression your new hire forms of your company – starts before their first day. Use these questions to ensure you’re on the right track from the get-go:

1) Did you receive all the necessary information before your first day?

2) Was the process of signing your contract and other administrative documents clear and straightforward?

3) Did you experience effective communication with our team before your arrival?

Be sure to send all essential documents for an efficient onboarding process!

Questions about the first day

An employee’s first day leaves a lasting impression and largely shapes their opinion of your company culture. Include these key questions in your survey:

4) Did your first day meet your expectations?

5) Were you warmly welcomed by your team?

6) Did you receive all the equipment and tools necessary to start working (e.g., computer, software access)?

Questions about training and integration

Onboarding is a pivotal time for defining a new hire’s role and expectations. Ensure they’ve received proper training and understand the organization and its mission:

7) Were the provided training sessions useful and tailored to your needs?

8) Do you have a clear understanding of your role and responsibilities?

9) Did you have the opportunity to ask questions and receive clear answers?

10) Was the presentation of the company (culture, values, mission) engaging and easy to understand?

Questions about the team and manager

A new hire’s team and manager play critical roles in their successful integration. Be sure to ask about these aspects in your survey:

11) Do you feel supported by your manager?

12) Was your mentor or onboarding buddy available to assist you?

13) How would you rate your colleagues’ availability to help you integrate?

Remember to welcome your new hire with effective employee onboarding emails!

Questions about the work environment

Whether your new hire works in an office or remotely, it’s important to ensure they have a workspace that promotes productivity and motivation:

14) Is your workspace (physical or virtual) suitable for your needs?

15) Did you encounter any technical or logistical issues that could have been avoided? If so, which ones?

Questions to gather new hire feedback

Welcome and onboarding surveys are indispensable tools for collecting valuable feedback from new hires that can guide your future onboarding strategies.

16) Were there any aspects of the onboarding process that you found particularly helpful?

17) What could be improved in our onboarding process?

Questions about motivation and satisfaction

While onboarding processes often focus on training for a quick and effective start, the best experiences also stand out by motivating and engaging new hires from day one. Use these questions to measure satisfaction among your freshly recruited employees:

18) Do you already feel engaged with the company culture? Why or why not?

19) To what extent do you feel motivated after these first few weeks?

20) On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our company to other potential employees?

21) What can we do to better support your professional development in the future?

These examples of employee onboarding survey questions will provide a solid basis to question your new hires about their experience, but don’t forget to customize your questionnaire according to your strategic objectives and organizational culture!

Want to automatize your employee onboarding processes with an efficient HR software? Learn more about our platform here!

Need a free employee satisfaction survey template?

Here is one that's free, interactive and user-friendly!

DOWNLOAD YOUR EMPLOYEE SURVEY TEMPLATE

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