The power of feedback during onboarding: Tips on giving and receiving

Feedback is a crucial process for improvement and keeping employees happy! Research shows that 96% of employees like receiving regular feedback and view it as something positive.  

Feedback is a two-way street. As an HR specialist, it’s important to be able to give your employees feedback, but also receive feedback from them for your self-improvement. 

Feedback helps new hires integrate into a new workplace better and helps them feel more valued. Moreover, 69% of employees say that they would work harder if they felt more recognised for their efforts. 

So, not only is feedback highly valued by employees, but it’s also a motivating factor to encourage them to work hard since it helps them feel appreciated and valued. 

But asking for or giving feedback can be tricky, especially early on during the onboarding phase. You’re still getting to know your new hire, so you want to create a comfortable environment to encourage them to share feedback. So how do you give and receive feedback effectively during onboarding?

In this blog, we’ll explore feedback from two perspectives: how to ask for feedback, and how to give feedback. But first, let’s understand why feedback matters during onboarding.

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Why is feedback important during onboarding?

We know that, statistically speaking, people truly value feedback. But how does it help personally improve an employee, or even an entire organisation?

Encouraging feedback sets the tone for an open and growth-oriented company culture. Being open to constructive criticism about what your employees are struggling with helps create a positive work environment. It builds a sense of trust between a new hire and their manager, speeding up their integration into a new workplace.

Moreover, feedback encourages self-awareness for both yourself and the new hire by recognising what is being done well and what needs improvement. This deepens the understanding of the new hire’s role. Also, it helps stir the process in the right direction when you check in early, avoiding new employees getting stuck. 

Most notably, feedback helps refine the onboarding process for future new hires. Adapt your onboarding process according to the feedback you receive from your new hires! By listening to what they felt worked well and what didn’t, you’ll gain valuable first-person insights into your own onboarding process.

Great! Now we understand why feedback is so important for you and your new hires, but how do we ask for it properly? Let’s look into that now.

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How to ask for feedback from new hires

A new hire might feel shy or simply just not fully comfortable within their new work environment. So, how do you encourage them to share honest feedback? It’s all in the details!

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When do you ask a new hire for feedback?

Feedback should be a regular part of the onboarding process, giving new hires the opportunity to reflect on something whenever they need. This can be organised according to key milestones. For example, after their first day, first week, or first month.

[.callout-small] Curious about these milestones? Be sure to check out our 30-60-90 day plan for more details! [.callout-small]

Waiting for certain milestones isn’t the only option though. Incorporate feedback during weekly 1-on-1 sessions with your new hire. Similarly, feedback can be asked for after important meetings with the new hire. Check in to see how things went, and if they feel the need for more support or training.

By creating a safe space where new hires can voice their concerns, trust is built earlier on, helping with company integration.

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How do you ask for feedback?

Getting feedback can take place through many forms, from casual and conversational to anonymous and scheduled. An easy way to get feedback at the beginning of a new hire’s journey is to schedule a conversation with them. This allows them to prepare in advance, yet it feels casual because it’s a natural conversation.

Another great option that offers a sense of privacy is anonymous surveys. Sometimes new hires (or long-term employees) have something a bit critical to share, but are worried about offending anyone or even being punished. (Can you imagine telling your new boss that you find their communication-style ineffective during your first week?). Anonymous surveys are the perfect opportunity for new hires to give critical, yet constructive, feedback in a comfortable way.

Finally, feedback can be asked for through open-ended emails or even (Slack) messages. This format allows new hires to take their time writing and thinking about their feedback. They can go back and edit their own words to make sure they’re communicating exactly what they want. 

We recommend using a blend of different feedback styles to cater to any new hire’s needs! Begin with a casual conversation to get to know each other better, then a few weeks later, send an open-ended feedback email. Once a month or so, be sure to send an anonymous survey so any major concerns can be voiced in a comfortable way.

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What kind of feedback questions should you ask?

Now that we’ve established when and how to ask a new hire for feedback, let’s explore what kind of questions to ask.

It’s important to check in and see how your new hire is integrating within the company. For valuable insights, ask open-ended questions that avoid a simple Yes/No answer. Also, try not to make any assumptions within your questions. For example:

“Do you like your new job?”

“Do you agree that we have a positive company culture?”

Instead, ask things that invite your new hires’ opinions, allowing them to share what they want. Some good questions for this include:

You might be surprised by what you learn about your own onboarding by freely inviting your new hire to share whatever they want. Make sure everyone’s opinions are heard and valued!

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Tools for collecting feedback

Did you know that Appical’s onboarding app easily allows you to gather feedback from your new hires? At the end of their onboarding material, ask them open-ended questions where they can write whatever they wish. 

For quick and easy answers, you can also ask them Likert scale questions, such as “How useful did you find the information on a scale from 1-10?”. All this feedback is directly collected via our onboarding app, making it simple and easy for you to manage all the data.

Appical’s onboarding app has an engagement-focused dashboard with data on your onboarding’s engagement rates. It tracks their progress within their onboarding program, like the time they’ve spent on it and how far they’ve gotten. It’s a great tool to keep an eye on their progress, giving you statistical feedback on your onboarding process.

Appical also has a large range of resources that could be of help! Our latest Ebook is an Onboarding Checklist for HR to guide you throughout an effective onboarding process. Organised by key milestones, it reminds you to ask for feedback regularly. 

[.callout-small] Curious to know more? Make sure to check out the rest of our app's features and resources on Appical.com! [.callout-small]

Now that we know how to ask for feedback from new hires, let’s explore the other side of the coin: How to give feedback. 

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What do you do with employee feedback?

Great, you’ve gathered insights the right way. But if they just sit in a report, buried in the company drive, they’re not driving change. So, how do you turn feedback into action?

Firstly, keep an eye out for any recurring pain points (problems or challenges your new hires are facing). Take an analytical look at the feedback, and if you notice that the same issue is brought up multiple times, it’s probably worth addressing. Brainstorm ways to fix it, or ask your new hires directly what they would like instead.

If you notice some easy-to-address issues, be sure to provide a quick fix for them. For example, if a new hire doesn’t have access to important documents, share it with them! Is something still confusing to them? Explain it in another way! By quickly fixing these sorts of problems, new hires will feel heard and valued, increasing their likelihood of giving feedback in the future.

Lastly, don’t forget to show some appreciation for their feedback. Giving constructive criticism isn’t always an easy thing to do, so make sure your new hires know that you’re grateful for their help. This helps encourage them to share feedback with you again in the future.

Amazing! Now that we’ve explored how to ask for feedback, let’s take a look at some useful tools for collecting feedback.

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How to give feedback to new hires

New employees need feedback to improve their work, but also feel seen, confident, and supported in their new roles. Offering feedback early and frequently helps build a sense of trust between you and your new hire, fostering a relationship.

Giving a new employee (critical) feedback can be hard. You don’t want to be too harsh, but it needs to be effective. Luckily, we’ve got tips on giving feedback to your new hires.

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Tips for giving new employees feedback

Firstly, be respectful and curious while giving feedback. When giving critical feedback, try using the ‘sandwich method’. This means to first give a compliment, then your critical or ‘what could be improved’ feedback, followed by another compliment. For example:

“I admire your initiative in learning our software! However, I noticed that you forget to tag people under tasks, please do this so they get notified. You’re a quick learner, keep it up!”

This ‘sandwich’ method helps avoid things being overly critical by also focusing on positive aspects of the new hire’s performance.

Next, choose the right time and place to share feedback. Telling your new hire that ‘they take too long to respond to emails’ while eating lunch in front of other colleagues may not be the most appropriate. Instead, try to find a private setting at a time that doesn’t take away from your breaks.

When giving feedback, provide examples to be as clear as possible. This helps your new employee better understand the problem and minimises confusion. At the same time, try to also offer solutions to the problem you’re addressing. For example:

“I struggle with knowing what tasks you’ve assigned to me. Instead, I would prefer for you to email or message me on Slack because it makes things more clear.”

Hopefully, with these tips, you’ll gain more confidence in sharing feedback, because at the end of the day, it benefits everyone!

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Wrapping up

Feedback is essential for knowing how new hires are adapting to their new work environment. Whether something is working really well or if they need more support, emphasising feedback shows your new hires that you care about them. Asking for their experiences and opinions makes people feel heard and valued.

We hope that these tips will help you gain confidence in asking for and giving feedback. After all, great feedback is how you keep improving your onboarding process!