Email template · Onboarding
Onboarding survey email
In short
An onboarding survey email invites new hires to rate their first days or weeks: how ready they felt, whether tools and training were in place, and how their manager helped. Below are templates for a first-week pulse, a 30-day survey, a 90-day survey, a frontline version and a reminder, plus timing and the questions worth asking.
When to send it: A short pulse at the end of week one, a fuller survey at 30 days and a final one at 90 days. Send on a weekday morning, not on the employee's day off.
Onboarding survey email: 4 versions
End of week one
SubjectHow was your first week?
Hi [First Name], You've made it through your first week at [Company]. We'd like to know how it went, while it's fresh. Five quick questions, about two minutes: [Survey Link] We're asking about the process, not about you: did your equipment work, did training make sense, did you know where to go. Your answers go to the HR team and are shared with managers only as group results. Thanks, [HR Contact Name] [Title], [Company]
30 days
SubjectOne month in: tell us what's working
Hi [First Name], It's been a month since you joined as [Job Title]. We'd value your honest view of onboarding so far, including what we should fix for the next group of new hires. The survey takes about five minutes: [Survey Link] It closes on [Close Date]. Responses are confidential and reported in groups of [Minimum Group Size] or more. Thanks for helping us get better at this, [HR Contact Name]
90 days
SubjectYour 90-day check-in survey
Hi [First Name], You're three months in. This is the last of our onboarding surveys, and it focuses on whether the job matches what you expected and whether you have what you need to do it well. [Survey Link] (about five minutes, closes [Close Date]) If there's something you'd rather talk about than write down, reply to this email and I'll set up a time. [HR Contact Name] [Title], [Company]
Frontline / reminder
SubjectReminder: 2 minutes on your first weeks
Hi [First Name], Quick reminder: we'd like your feedback on your first weeks at [Site Name]. It's five questions and works on your phone: [Survey Link] You can also fill it in on the break-room tablet. It closes [Close Date]. Thanks, [HR Contact Name]
Subject line ideas
- How was your first week?
- One month in: tell us what's working
- Your 90-day check-in survey
- 2 minutes on your first weeks at [Company]
- Help us improve onboarding
- Reminder: 2 minutes on your first weeks
- What should we fix for the next new hires?
SMS and WhatsApp version
Hi [First Name], how were your first weeks at [Company]? Five quick questions, about 2 min: [Survey Link]. Your answers are confidential. Thanks, [HR Contact Name]. Reply STOP to opt out.
Placeholders to replace: [First Name], [Job Title], [Company], [Site Name], [Survey Link], [Close Date], [Minimum Group Size], [HR Contact Name], [Title]
Timing: three touchpoints
Each survey answers a different question. Week one tells you whether logistics worked: equipment, accounts, schedules, where to go. Day 30 tells you whether training and the manager are setting people up to succeed. Day 90 tells you whether the job matches what was sold in the hiring process, which is where early attrition comes from.
In high-turnover roles, the first 90 days carry most of the risk. Many contact centers and warehouses lose a large share of each class before day 90, so the week-one pulse is the one you can act on fastest. If you can only run one, run the 30-day survey.
Surveys don't replace conversations. Pair them with the manager's new hire check-in email and a short 1:1, so issues raised in the survey also have a human route.
What to ask
Keep week one to five questions and the 30- and 90-day surveys to ten or fewer. Use the same core questions each time so you can compare cohorts:
- I had the equipment and access I needed on day one. (1–5)
- My training prepared me for the work I'm doing. (1–5)
- My manager checks in with me regularly. (1–5)
- The job matches what was described when I was hired. (1–5)
- I know who to ask when I'm stuck. (1–5)
- How likely are you to recommend working here to a friend? (0–10)
- What one thing should we change for the next new hires? (open text)
Our onboarding feedback survey template has a complete question set you can copy into your survey form, with a hidden field for start date, site and manager.
Confidentiality and trust
New hires are cautious about criticizing their manager in their first month. Say exactly who sees the answers, and only report manager-level results when a minimum number of people responded, typically five or more. If a manager has two new hires, their results should roll into the site or department view. Never use survey answers in probation decisions; if that happens once, response rates and honesty both collapse.
Getting responses from frontline staff
Hourly employees rarely check email. Send by SMS where you have consent, make the survey work on a phone, give people a few minutes of paid time to complete it during a shift, and put a QR code or tablet in the break room. Response rates of 50 percent or more are realistic when the survey is short and done on paid time, compared with low single digits for an email sent to a personal inbox nobody checks.
Acting on results
Review results by cohort, site and manager every month in your onboarding reports. Look for patterns, not single complaints. If "equipment on day one" scores 2.8 at one site and 4.4 elsewhere, that's a process problem at one site with a clear owner. Tell new hires what changed because of their answers; it is the single best way to keep the next cohort responding. Training feedback is a related but separate stream; use a training feedback survey email for individual courses.
Mistakes to avoid
- Surveying on day one, before there's anything to rate.
- Long surveys that mix onboarding, engagement and training questions.
- Manager-level reporting for groups too small to stay anonymous.
- No follow-up, so new hires see nothing change.
- Emailing frontline staff only, then concluding they don't care.
Frequently asked questions
When should you send an onboarding survey?
A short pulse at the end of week one, a fuller survey at 30 days and a final one at 90 days. If you only run one, make it the 30-day survey.
What questions should a new hire survey ask?
Whether equipment and access were ready, whether training prepared them, how often their manager checks in, whether the job matches what was described, who they ask for help, and one open question on what to change.
How do you write an onboarding feedback survey invitation?
Keep it short: say why you're asking, how long it takes, who sees the answers and when it closes, and include a single link. Send it from a named HR contact.
Should onboarding surveys be anonymous?
Confidential, at least. Report results only in groups of five or more and never use them in individual performance or probation decisions.
How do you get frontline new hires to complete a survey?
Send it by text, make it mobile-friendly, keep it to five questions and let employees complete it during paid time, for example on a break-room tablet.