40 employee onboarding survey questions for the first 90 days
This bank contains 40 employee onboarding survey questions organized by checkpoint: pre-boarding, the first week, and the 30-, 60-, and 90-day marks. Onboarding is a process, not a moment, so the best approach is several short surveys (5–8 questions each) at these milestones rather than one long form at the end. Early surveys focus on logistics and welcome; later ones shift to role clarity, support, and whether the job matches what was promised.
How do you use this question bank?
Run a short survey at each milestone instead of one big one. A new hire's needs change fast: in week one they care about logistics and feeling welcome; by 90 days they can judge role clarity, manager support, and whether the job matches the pitch. Surveying at each stage lets you catch problems early — when a struggling new hire is still recoverable — and shows the rest of the cohort that feedback is wanted.
Keep each check-in to 5–8 questions, mix rating scales with one or two open questions, and make responses confidential so people will tell you the truth about their manager and team. A free tool with unlimited responses like Formkii can host all five check-ins, each as its own short survey, with rating scales and CSV export so HR can track the cohort over time.
| Checkpoint | Focus | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-boarding | Logistics, paperwork, first-day clarity | 4–6 questions |
| Week 1 | Welcome, setup, immediate needs | 5–7 questions |
| 30 days | Role clarity, training, early support | 6–8 questions |
| 60 days | Confidence, team fit, resources | 6–8 questions |
| 90 days | Job-vs-expectation, manager, retention signal | 6–8 questions |
Pre-boarding questions (before day one)
- Did you receive everything you needed before your start date (paperwork, equipment, schedule)?
- Was the information you got before starting clear and complete?
- How welcome did you feel during the period between accepting the offer and starting?
- Did you know what to expect on your first day?
- Was it easy to reach someone if you had questions before starting?
- Is there anything you wish you'd known before your first day?
Week 1 questions
- How welcomed did you feel during your first week?
- Was your workspace, equipment, and system access ready on day one?
- Did you understand what you were expected to do this week?
- Were you introduced to the people you needed to meet?
- How clear was your onboarding schedule for the first week?
- Did you have the information you needed to get started?
- What would have made your first week better?
30-day questions
- How clear are your role and responsibilities so far?
- How effective has your training been to this point?
- Do you have the tools and resources you need to do your job?
- How supported do you feel by your manager?
- How well have you connected with your team?
- Is the job matching what you expected when you accepted it?
- What's been the biggest challenge in your first month?
- Is there anything you still feel unclear or unsure about?
60-day questions
- How confident do you feel performing your core responsibilities now?
- Do you have a clear understanding of how your work contributes to the team's goals?
- How would you rate the ongoing support and feedback from your manager?
- Do you feel like part of the team?
- Are there skills or knowledge gaps you'd like more help closing?
- How well does the company culture match what you expected?
- What would help you be more effective right now?
90-day questions
- Looking back, how would you rate your overall onboarding experience?
- Does the role match what was described during hiring?
- How clear are you on what success looks like in your role?
- How supported do you feel by your manager and team after three months?
- Do you have the resources and development opportunities you need?
- How likely are you to still be here in a year? (Very unlikely → Very likely)
- What's one thing we could improve about onboarding for the next new hire?
- Is there anything you'd like to raise that we haven't asked about?
Open-ended questions for any checkpoint
- What's gone better than you expected so far?
- What's been more difficult than you expected?
- What's one thing that would make your experience here better right now?
- Who has been especially helpful during your onboarding?
- Is there anything you need that you haven't received?
Make the 90-day survey count by asking the retention signal question — "How likely are you to still be here in a year?" — and treating a low score as an early-warning flag, not just a data point. New hires who feel unsupported at 90 days often leave within the first year, and a quick manager conversation triggered by that answer is one of the cheapest retention moves you have.
Tips for using these questions
- Survey at milestones, not once at the end — early signals are the ones you can still act on.
- Keep each check-in short (5–8 questions) so completion stays high across all five.
- Make responses confidential so new hires will be honest about their manager and team.
- Track scores across the cohort to spot which stage of onboarding consistently dips.
- Pair scales with one open question per survey; the verbatims tell you what to fix.
- Close the loop: tell new hires what changed because of earlier cohorts' feedback.
Frequently asked questions
What questions should an employee onboarding survey ask?
Match the questions to the stage. Early on, ask about logistics, system access, and feeling welcome. By 30 to 90 days, ask about role clarity, training quality, manager support, and whether the job matches what was described in hiring. End the 90-day survey with a retention-signal question and an open suggestion.
When should you survey new employees?
Run short check-ins at several milestones: before day one, at the end of week one, and at the 30-, 60-, and 90-day marks. Each stage reveals different problems — week one is about setup and welcome, while 90 days is about role clarity and whether the new hire intends to stay.
How long should an onboarding survey be?
Keep each check-in to five to eight questions. Because onboarding is surveyed at several milestones, no single survey needs to be long, and short forms keep completion high across the whole sequence. Reserve depth for one or two open questions per stage.
Should onboarding surveys be anonymous?
Make them confidential at minimum. New hires are reluctant to criticize a manager or team they've just joined, so they answer more honestly when responses aren't tied to their name. If a cohort is small, aggregate results before sharing so individuals can't be identified.