Essential Onboarding Survey Questions: What to Ask and When [with template]

Onboarding surveys for large organisations can have a particularly significant impact as the new hire cohorts are much larger. Therefore, poor experiences can be amplified and cause more significant problems. Conversely, they do also provide more data that can help organisations act on the potential issues.

Does poor onboarding really cause new hire ghosting and early attrition?

Yes. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)² found that 27% of employers have had a new employee not turn up on their first day.

As Emma Parkin, Head of Propositions at The Access Group, puts it:

"Over 25% of UK employers have been 'ghosted' by new recruits who simply don't show up on day one. One in four. These aren't just statistics. This is people accepting your job offer, going through pre-boarding, and then vanishing."

Onboarding at Scale: From High Turnover to Peak Productivity

A pre-hire survey creates an early touchpoint that maintains engagement and can surface disengagement signals before they result in a no-show. It will not prevent every case of ghosting, but it reduces the risk by keeping the new hire connected to the organisation before their start date.

The cost of losing a new hire is also higher than most organisations realise. Oxford Economics calculates the true cost of losing someone earning £25,000 at £30,614.

That figure covers recruitment, lost productivity, training, and the cost of finding a replacement.

Early attrition is equally concerning. As Emma Parkin notes:

"41% of organisations are losing new recruits within their first 12 weeks. After all that time and money spent recruiting them, they're walking out the door before they've truly started contributing."

Onboarding at Scale: From High Turnover to Peak Productivity

How do onboarding surveys support long-term retention?

Research by Culture Amp³ shows that 25% of people in this benchmark are thinking of or actually seeking jobs elsewhere while on a longer time frame, 14% of people see themselves leaving within two years.

Onboarding surveys help organisations identify early warning signs of disengagement before they reach that point.

When survey data is reviewed regularly and acted on, it allows HR teams to improve the onboarding process for each new cohort based on what the previous one reported.

Why is a structured survey programme better than a one-off questionnaire?

A single survey captures a snapshot. A structured, multi-stage programme captures a journey. For large organisations with high hiring volumes, the value of consistent data compounds over time. Patterns emerge across cohorts, making it possible to identify systemic issues rather than individual ones.

Open-ended questions

Open-ended questions encourage qualitative, descriptive feedback. They are best for understanding the reasoning behind a score or identifying issues that a closed question would not surface.

Example: "What aspects of your onboarding could have been improved?"

Because the onboarding experience affects each person differently, open-ended responses capture a wider range of perspectives. They often surface issues that structured questions would not catch.

Scale-based questions

Scale-based questions produce quantitative data that can be tracked over time and visualised in charts. They are best for identifying trends across cohorts and measuring whether changes to the onboarding process are having the intended effect.

Example: "On a scale of 1 to 10, how well did your onboarding prepare you for your role?"

If a significant proportion of new hires score this question below five, it is a clear signal that the onboarding process is not equipping people to perform in their roles.

Yes or no questions

Yes or no questions are ideal for early-stage process checks. They are fast to complete, low friction for new hires in their first week, and effective at identifying administrative failures.

Example: "Did you receive all the equipment and system access you needed before your start date?"

A no answer here does not require analysis. It requires a fix.

Multiple choice questions

Multiple choice questions give employees pre-determined options to choose from, which makes responses easier to analyse at scale while still capturing meaningful information about where the process is working and where it is not.

Example: "Which part of your onboarding experience has been the most useful so far?"

• Orientation sessions
• Meeting my team
• Training materials
• IT setup and access

If one option is consistently not selected, it is a candidate for review or removal.

The most effective onboarding survey programmes send questions at four distinct stages: before the new hire's start date, during their first week, at the end of their first month, and after their probation period. Each stage captures different data and serves a different purpose.

Sending surveys at the right moment increases completion rates and produces more accurate, actionable data. In the first week especially, keep surveys short. New hires are already managing a high volume of new information.

Pre-hire survey questions

Pre-hire surveys focus on the recruitment experience, communication quality, and whether the role matched the new hire's expectations. The responses help organisations improve job listings and interview processes.

Zoe Wilson, Director of ReThink HR, explains why this stage is critical:

"That pre-day one piece is really important. Engagement before day one is critical. Otherwise you risk losing people to ghosting or distractions before they even walk through the door."

Onboarding Brilliantly | Do the Best Work of Your Life Ep. 4

Suggested pre-hire questions:

• "How would you rate the clarity of the job description?" (Scale-based)
• "Did the role description accurately reflect what was discussed in your interview?" (Yes or no)
• "Did you receive timely communication throughout the hiring process?" (Yes or no)
• "What could we have done better during the recruitment process?" (Open-ended)
• "What was the most challenging part of the recruitment process?" (Multiple choice: interview process / response time / job role clarity / salary expectations)

Note for large organisations: Pre-hire survey data constitutes personal data under UK GDPR. Ensure your data retention policy covers how long pre-hire responses are stored and that new hires are informed of this at the point of survey completion.

First week onboarding survey questions

A first-week survey should focus on initial impressions, team welcome, role clarity, and whether the new hire has the equipment and access they need to do their job. New jobs are stressful regardless of experience level. The questions at this stage should be straightforward and focused on employee welfare.

Suggested first-week questions:

• "What has been the most helpful part of your first week, and why?" (Open-ended)
• "On a scale of 1 to 10, how welcomed did you feel by your team?" (Scale-based)
• "Did you receive all the resources and tools needed to do your job?" (Yes or no)
• "Are you clear on your responsibilities for the first 30 days?" (Yes or no)
• "Is there anything that surprised you about the role or the organisation that was not covered in the recruitment process?" (Open-ended)
• "Which part of your onboarding experience has been the most useful so far?" (Multiple choice: orientation sessions / meeting my team / training materials / IT setup and access)

First month onboarding survey questions

The first month is when new hire integration is most at risk. A first-month survey should measure role confidence, team integration, training quality, and manager support. Peer buddy programmes, where new hires are paired with a colleague in a similar role, can significantly reduce early disengagement. Survey feedback at this stage often surfaces whether such a programme is needed or whether an existing one is working.

Suggested first-month questions:

• "What additional support would help you feel more confident in your role?" (Open-ended)
• "On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you understand your job responsibilities?" (Scale-based)
• "Have you received adequate support from your manager so far?" (Yes or no)
• "Do you feel your manager understands your development goals?" (Yes or no)
• "What has been the biggest challenge during your first month?" (Multiple choice: understanding company processes / adapting to the company culture / workload management / communication with colleagues)

Post-probation onboarding survey questions

A post-probation survey confirms long-term engagement and role clarity. By this stage, the new hire has completed their probation review and should have a clearer sense of their goals and their place in the organisation. Questions at this stage can go deeper.

Suggested post-probation questions:

• "How do you feel your role contributes to the company's overall goals?" (Open-ended)
• "On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you in your ability to succeed in your role long-term?" (Scale-based)
• "Do you feel integrated into the company culture?" (Yes or no)
• "Do you feel you have established meaningful relationships with your colleagues?" (Yes or no)
• "Would you recommend this organisation as a place to work to someone in your network?" (Yes or no)
• "Which area of your development do you feel needs the most improvement?" (Multiple choice: technical skills / communication skills / understanding company goals / work-life balance)