A data-driven approach to optimizing employee onboarding

How Google uses survey feedback to continually improve the experience for new hires

Effective onboarding programs are known to increase employee engagement, productivity, and retention. But how do you know if yours is effective? And, if it is, how do you make sure it remains resonant and useful over time?

At Google, we take a data-driven approach to ensuring new Googlers (or “Nooglers”) are equipped with the tools and knowledge to thrive as quickly as possible. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned in 25 years of onboarding Nooglers, it’s that the only constant is change. Onboarding needs to evolve with the company, industry trends, and our employees.

That’s why a crucial, newer component of our onboarding process is a survey sent to new hires periodically throughout their first year. Based on the survey responses, we compare key metrics over time to identify trends and optimize the onboarding experience.

Since introducing this survey model two years ago, we’ve used data-driven insights to inform over a dozen adjustments to Noogler onboarding and support the end-to-end new hire experience.

In our survey, we ask Nooglers the same questions at 30, 90, and 365 days into their Google journey, seeking to gauge how they are settling in during their first year.

The goals of the survey include:

• Identifying the most valuable resources and experiences for new hires
  
  
• Clarifying the moments when new hires particularly need support
  
  
• Finding opportunities for the central onboarding team to collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver a holistic onboarding experience
  
  

Specifically, our survey asks new hires to evaluate their experience across three fundamental elements of the Google employee experience:

• Technology and tools. Ex. I have access to the systems, tools, and technology that enable me to onboard and do my job effectively.
  
  
• Productivity and skills. Ex. I feel productive and able to make an impact on team goals.
  
  
• Culture and connection. Ex. I feel my unique background and experience is valued at Google.

A new hire’s onboarding experience is shaped by programming, resources, and interactions. At Google, dozens of teams and Googlers, including those in People Operations (Google's Human Resources team), IT, and management, contribute to Noogler onboarding. The new hire survey enables us to efficiently gather and analyze data and feedback, then share insights with the cross-section of teams who work together to support Nooglers.

For example, insights from the survey led us to strengthen the partnership between Google-wide Orientation (which occurs during a new hire’s first week) and department-level onboarding (where Nooglers develop role-specific skills over the following weeks and months). This connection is arguably the most critical in new hire onboarding, influencing the time it takes a Noogler to become a productive member of their team. With survey data to guide us, multiple teams can come together to identify opportunities to create a more seamless and connected experience for Nooglers.

As another example, survey feedback suggested an opportunity to help Nooglers form meaningful relationships outside their core working group. Research shows that such relationships increase employee engagement, encourage creativity, innovation, and knowledge sharing, and contribute to a sense of engagement. Based on this feedback, we worked with regional teams to redesign local onboarding sessions – adding community-building activities and social events encouraging Nooglers to meet and connect with Googlers from different departments and backgrounds.

Companies of all sizes can introduce surveys to their onboarding process to improve the employee experience and get new hires up to speed as quickly as possible. Here are a few important things to consider when designing an onboarding survey:

• Align to the business: At Google, we identified three areas critical to the success of our people and teams: 1) technology and tools, 2) productivity and skills, and 3) culture and connection. When crafting your survey, focus on questions that support your onboarding goals and company values.
  
  
• Make it easy for new hires to contribute: Our survey is designed to be completed in less than 15 minutes and includes both multiple choice and open ended questions. Participation is voluntary and confidential, and respondents can skip any questions they choose not to answer.
  
  
• Check in more than once: Onboarding takes place over months, not days. By checking back over time, you’ll gain insights into the longitudinal experience and long-term effectiveness of your onboarding process. We choose to survey at 30, 90, and 365 days. 
  
  
• Know your audience: Mid-career new hires will likely have a different perspective than will recent college graduates. The same is true for people managers, as well as those in technical and non-technical roles, etc. To ensure actionable insights, analyze survey results across various audience dimensions, and consider including a few specific questions for different role types, skill sets, and levels of responsibility.
  
  

As the saying goes: You can't manage what you don't measure. By identifying what’s important to your company and gathering data on how new hires experience their first days, weeks, and months, you’ll gain valuable visibility into what’s working, what’s not, and what you can do to improve. Remember, the effects of an onboarding experience – positive and negative – last long after orientation wraps up. It’s worth taking the time to collect the data, analyze the feedback, and make smart changes to ensure you’re getting it right.