Onboarding Feedback: How to Gather and Use it

The most useful onboarding feedback I get from new hires is when it’s still happening, not at some point after it’s done. Post-onboarding surveys can’t measure the emotional truth of an employee’s experience. Memory filters. Frustration compounds.

I use something I call “real-time micro-assessment.” I build tiny, time-stamped feedback requests into the flow of onboarding itself: a check-in here at a “first” moment (“holy moly, it’s my first payroll!”) and a check-in there at a “must do” moment (“oh great, now I get to enroll in benefits.”).

I want to detect clarity gaps early, before they’re compounded into disengagement. If I get multiple new hires tripping up on compliance document uploads, I know it’s a communications issue, not a will-to-engage issue. It’s a subtle difference but the intel from contextualized pain points is so much more accurate.

Ask them while it’s still fresh, not six months later when they barely remember. I like grabbing quick, casual check-ins after week one and week four—nothing fancy, just “What confused you? What helped you settle in fastest? What would you change?” That way you catch pain points in real time and can fix them for the next person. Then actually close the loop—let new hires know you tweaked the handbook or changed a process because of their input. When people see their feedback turning into action, they’re way more likely to keep being honest.

My top recommendation for seeking authentic information from new hires is straightforward: do not begin with a survey; start with a story. Rather than “rate your onboarding from 1 to 10,” I will ask: “What’s one moment from your first week that really surprised you, good or bad?” Just this slight change in phrasing causes individuals to open up in ways statistics never could.

At Legacy Online School, we do fast chats a few weeks in: Nothing formal (just 15 minutes with their manager or buddy) after they have had time to reflect and we talk through what felt smooth and what felt clunky. Those conversations reveal things you would never catch otherwise, or that a tool was confusing, or that a welcome email arrived too late.

The important thing is what you do with it. Every detail of feedback gets added to our shared onboarding board so the team can see what we have changed. And we make sure to tell the next group of hires, “This step is here because someone before you asked for it.” That simple loop illustrates we are listening and builds ownership of the process from the very beginning.

What is the outcome? The onboarding process feels less like a scripted HR exercise. So many employees will feel a sense of ownership of the onboarding process from the very beginning.

The most effective way I’ve found is scheduling a relaxed feedback chat at the 2-week mark, when they’ve seen enough to spot gaps but aren’t too settled to just go along with things. For example, one hire told me our task tracker was confusing, so we adjusted the labels, and the next person onboarded more smoothly. Feedback can reveal those tiny friction points you stop noticing as a leader. Honestly, if you’re staring down clunky onboarding, just grab insights early before habits lock in.

For me, the best way to gather feedback from new hires is to treat onboarding like a startup experiment—test, measure, and iterate. At Tutorbase, we started by sending a simple three-question survey after the first two weeks, and the insights were surprisingly candid. One early hire pointed out that our documentation felt scattered, so we quickly created a short onboarding portal to centralize it all. That small shift immediately cut down on confusion and was echoed by others later. My advice—don’t wait for perfect, launch a light version, then refine quickly based on what you hear.

For all of our new hires, we send them surveys to complete on an incremental basis during their first several months of employment with our agency. These surveys contain questions about how their experience has been with our organization as it relates to training, supervision, acknowledgement/recognition, workload, etc. In conjunction with this, we offer new hires the opportunity (voluntarily) to meet 1-on-1 with an HR Representative to go over their survey responses and see if there is anything they wish to add/expand upon. Any feedback that sticks out (positive or negative), HR then promptly relays that to their supervisory line (from their direct supervisor all the way up to the Chief Operating Officer). This allows all the pertinent parties to be in the know and allows us to address things in real-time. For example, if an employee provides feedback that they are having issues with training; we follow up with our trainers & supervisors and address those concerns. We have a continuous feedback loop where we receive feedback, evaluate it and then address/take note of those matters in some manner — in real-time. This enables us to efficiently & effectively improve our onboarding processes.

My best advice is to create an interactive feedback session during first-day meetings where new hires can openly share their experiences and priorities regarding the onboarding process. We’ve found that gathering feedback directly and immediately, rather than waiting for surveys weeks later, provides more authentic insights and makes new team members feel valued from day one. This approach has helped us identify gaps in our training materials and continuously improve our onboarding procedures by incorporating these fresh perspectives into our formal policies and processes.

The best onboarding feedback I’ve ever received came from one question asked at 30, 60, and 90 days: What do you know now that would’ve made your first few weeks easier?

It cuts through the noise and gets to the real stuff new hires wish they had on day one. Then our job is simple: spot the patterns, fix the gaps, and make sure leaders are equipped to show up differently next time.

Onboarding isn’t about polishing a checklist. It’s about making the path clearer for the next person.

The best advice I can give for gathering feedback from new hires about onboarding is to create a safe, informal space for honesty. Instead of sending a generic survey right after orientation, I schedule a one-on-one check-in about 30 days in. By that point, they’ve had enough time to experience the culture, systems, and workflow, so their insights are more grounded and specific. I frame the conversation as “helping us improve” rather than “evaluating the process,” which encourages openness.

Once I gather that feedback, I look for recurring themes—confusion about role expectations, unclear communication channels, or missing resources. I then meet with department leads to address these patterns and adjust our onboarding materials or mentorship structures accordingly.

This simple feedback loop not only improves our onboarding experience but also signals to new employees that their voices matter early on. That sense of inclusion builds engagement from day one.

One thing that’s worked really well for us is assigning every new hire a “buddy” who checks in a few times during their first month — someone who isn’t their supervisor. After a few weeks, that buddy asks what parts of onboarding felt clear and what didn’t. People tend to be a lot more open when they’re talking to a peer instead of a manager. It provides us with honest and useful feedback without making anyone feel like they’re being evaluated.

We use what we learn in real time. If several new hires mention they felt unsure about route procedures or paperwork, we immediately add a short video or hands-on demo to that section. Over time, those small tweaks have made onboarding smoother and reduced early turnover. The key is listening without defensiveness — if you treat feedback like a gift instead of a critique, your process keeps getting better.

Our team treats onboarding as an ongoing process. After thirty days, we ask each new hire to share their thoughts through a short checklist and a conversation. We focus on whether the role expectations were clear, if the training supported their needs, and if the culture felt welcoming. This helps us gather feedback while the experience is still fresh in their minds. The insights allow us to better understand how the first month shapes their confidence and comfort within the team.

We use this feedback to improve the program step by step. For example, we learned that product training in the first week felt overwhelming. To address this, we spread the sessions over two weeks, which gave new employees more time to absorb the information. By applying small but thoughtful adjustments, we make the entry process smoother and more supportive. This approach ensures that every new team member feels prepared and valued from the beginning.

Leading remote-first teams taught me the importance of timing and accessibility in feedback. My approach usually starts with short, timezone-friendly check-ins using collaborative tools like Miro or Google Docs, so no one feels left out by scheduling conflicts. For instance, one consultant flagged confusion about invoicing templates at 11 p.m. their time, and because the system captured feedback asynchronously, we fixed it before their next shift. I’ve lost count of how many onboarding snags we caught this way before they grew into team-wide issues. My advice: create a distributed feedback loop where location never limits communication.

We believe feedback should be gathered by peers as much as managers. New hires often hesitate to share concerns directly with leadership for fear of judgment. Peer-led interviews create safer environments for authentic reflections about challenges and successes. Peers act as neutral bridges, normalizing honest conversation while reducing hierarchical pressure. The peer-to-peer dynamic surfaces issues that otherwise remain hidden.

We use findings from peer interviews to adjust onboarding structures without exposing individuals directly. For example, repeated feedback about tool confusion prompted clearer technical guides and buddy support. By acting quickly on feedback, we demonstrate respect and responsiveness. Employees see onboarding as participatory, strengthening engagement early. This cycle of feedback and response builds loyalty and cultural trust from the start.

We have learned to ask for feedback while the onboarding experience is still fresh, usually 3-5 days after the new employee is fully set up. We also keep the feedback focused, asking: what was clear, what was confusing, and what could have made the entire process run more smoothly. Then, we try to close the loop, implementing those small changes for the new hire and incorporating them into a “buddy system” so they can see that their voice and feedback was heard.

My best advice is to create multiple feedback channels, not just one survey. At Medix Dental IT, we ask new hires directly in one-on-one check-ins, then compare that with insights from their mentors and managers. Between you and me, this triangulation shows us where expectations meet reality, and it helps us eliminate gaps in onboarding almost immediately.

The first few weeks are make-or-break for a new hire. They’re trying to figure out if they belong, if they’re in the right place, and if this job is what they thought it would be.

And this is where the listening part of onboarding comes in, and it’s the foundation of what I break down in my book, “Interns to A-Players.”

My advice for getting the best feedback? Make it feel natural. Don’t go all formal the moment they walk in the door.

Instead, create opportunities for real, casual conversations. Whether it’s after their first week or at the end of the month, ask them questions that go beyond “how was the onboarding experience?” Go into specifics: what was clear? What felt confusing? What did they need more of? And most importantly, ask them: What’s missing?

And that’s exactly what my team and I do. We make sure our new interns feel right at home from the start. We give them a space where they feel comfortable enough to share their thoughts without fear.

During their first 30 days, we ask them to fill out a survey where they get to tell us what they’re loving, where they’re struggling, and what suggestions they have for us. Again, it is not just about getting feedback. We have created a space where they feel comfortable but also encouraged to share their thoughts to improve.

Ensure that employees know you are listening. At times, we gather feedback and do not do anything. It’s like receiving a gift and not unwrapping it.

When you take action on what they tell you, you not only improve the process for future hires but you build trust.

In my book, I break down how you can take anyone – whether they’re fresh out of school or coming from another industry – and turn them into a top performer. And it starts with listening. If you aren’t actively gathering feedback, you’re missing the chance to mold your team into real A-Players.

So, get real with your hires. Have those conversations. Use their feedback to make your onboarding better, but more importantly, make them feel seen and heard. That’s how you build a team that sticks together, grows, and excels!

I recommend implementing regular three-month check-ins with new employees to gather honest feedback about their onboarding experience. These structured conversations create a comfortable space where new hires can share insights about what’s working well and what could be improved in the process. We’ve found this approach helps break down hierarchical barriers while ensuring new team members feel their input is genuinely valued. The feedback collected during these check-ins allows us to continuously refine our onboarding playbooks and create a more supportive experience for future hires.

Most individuals do not like providing feedback in the form of surveys, and therefore surveys often receive low response rates. In my experience, the best way to gather feedback is immediately in the moment – aka DURING the final onboarding session – send the survey link via the remote call and reframe the title of it so it is not a survey. This will 1) not only entice individuals to fill it out because it is not referenced as a survey, and 2) will not make them feel like they are taking their personal time to complete it since it would instead be completed during the allocated session time. This results in higher responses, which can therefore lead to richer data to implement the suggestions.

It doesn’t have to be a super complex process, but it needs to be anonymous in order for new hires to feel truly comfortable voicing their honest feedback. For us, simplicity is key: we send new hires a Google Form with questions (including open-ended questions) that we think will help them give us their honest thoughts on how to improve our onboarding. We don’t record the name or email of the person submitting the form, and it allows new hires to feel like they can share their ideas for improvement without upsetting management.