Building Strong Starts: Using Feedback to Elevate Employee Onboarding

For a new hire, adapting to the organization and quickly becoming familiar with their job responsibilities is crucial for any company.
The process that facilitates this is called onboarding, which not only shapes the first impression a new employee has of the company but also plays a major role in helping them understand the organizational culture and fostering a sense of belonging. A well-structured and positive onboarding program can help new hires clearly understand their roles and potentially deliver bigger results. Conversely, if it’s ineffective, employees may struggle to adjust. In this sense, onboarding is not just a mere procedure but an essential element of the overall employee experience—one that can have a direct impact on a company’s growth.

How Onboarding Relates to Employee Experience (EX)

As mentioned previously, Employee Experience (EX) refers to the total set of experiences employees have at a company. Onboarding is the first of these experiences for new hires, and a successful onboarding process leaves a positive first impression. This initial experience can significantly influence an employee’s long-term satisfaction and engagement. Effective onboarding communicates the company’s vision and values while clarifying the new employee’s role within the organization, thereby fostering trust and a sense of belonging—and ultimately contributing to the company’s success.

Building a Successful Onboarding Program Through Surveys

For an onboarding program to be effective, HR teams need a clear understanding of what new hires actually need. Surveys can be an excellent tool for gaining those insights, revealing which areas new employees find most challenging, how they rate their initial experiences, and where improvements are necessary. Listening to new hires from the very beginning helps them feel engaged and develop a sense of ownership toward the company. For example, conducting a survey after an onboarding session allows you to gather real experiences and improvement requests. This data can then be used to design an even more effective program. Because consistency is key, Walla proposes the following funnel for companies that want to enhance the employee experience:

1. Pre-Arrival Survey
   Before designing the onboarding program, you can survey new hires about what they anticipate needing the most. For instance, you can ask them about their previous experiences or expectations of the company. By analyzing these responses, you can tailor the onboarding experience to address the specific needs of your incoming talent.
   
   

2. Regular Feedback Surveys
   After new hires join, their experience evolves over time, so it’s a good idea to conduct periodic surveys—such as after the first week, the first month, or the first three months. These regular check-ins help you track changes in their experience and identify areas that need attention. Ongoing feedback is fundamental to evaluating the success of the onboarding process and making quick improvements where necessary.

3. Post-Onboarding Evaluation Survey
   A final evaluation survey after the onboarding period is also important. Asking new hires about their overall satisfaction, how helpful the process was, and what they see as future improvements can provide a definitive measure of onboarding success. Their honest feedback can be the basis for improving subsequent onboarding programs.

Because new-hire onboarding can have a direct impact on a company’s growth, it’s critical to have a structured program and remain committed to continual refinements. By truly listening to new employees and incorporating their feedback, companies can demonstrate respect and build trust, which naturally leads to higher loyalty.

Of course, any survey aimed at creating a successful onboarding program also deserves close attention. You need a customized survey design that reflects the company’s identity and objectives, robust analysis tools that can examine employee data in detail, and the ability to identify hidden insights. If you want this process to be easier and faster, why not try Walla?