Important Questions to Ask Your New Employees in the First 60 Days

Picture this: You have just hired someone new. They performed wonderfully throughout the interview process and you can’t wait to integrate them into your team, but as with any new professional relationship, you’re still not exactly sure what to expect. The truth is, neither is your new hire.

Starting a new job can be a bit overwhelming. Depending on your company and the position, it can take months for new hires to feel really settled in. One of the most important things you can do to retain employees is to check in regularly, making sure they feel comfortable and understand their role in the company.

Below are our favorite questions to ask new employees throughout their first three months on the job to help make sure they thrive in their new position, so your business can thrive too.

Why Questions Are Important for Employees

New employees are often eager to make a good first impression and are not always proactive about voicing their concerns and asking questions. Many new employees are also preoccupied with absorbing a lot of new information, learning new processes, and meeting new people.

Good communication can help you and your new employees stay focused on the bigger picture. Checking in with new hires will help you:

• See where they are excelling and where they are struggling
• Give them an opportunity to voice concerns early, before they become serious issues
• Gain new insight about your company and processes from a fresh perspective
• Identify areas in need of improvement in your onboarding process or remote onboarding process
• Let new employees know that you value their feedback

In the First Week

In the first week, your goal is to make sure new hires are getting acquainted with their new team members and are understanding their training and new responsibilities. It is also important to help them feel welcome and comfortable asking questions.

When you check in with a new employee in the first week, you might ask:

• Who do you need an introduction to?
• Do you have questions about anything from your orientation or the employee handbook?
• Have you been getting answers to your questions when you need them?
• Is your workstation comfortable, and do you have everything you need?

At this stage, a team lunch or other group outing can help everyone get to know each other. It also encourages other team members to think of fun questions to ask employees to get to know them.

In the First Month

As the first month progresses, check in with new employees’ workloads. See how well they are collaborating with their coworkers professionally and personally. Let them know that their input is appreciated.

Here are a few great questions to ask roughly three to four weeks after new employees begin:

• Do you have too much, too little, or the right amount of time to get your work done?
• How are you getting along with your team?
• Who has been really helpful since you started?
• What has been challenging? Uncomfortable? Confusing?
• How can I help you succeed next month?

In the Second Month

As the two-month mark nears, continue to build trust with new hires and establish a good, candid relationship. As time goes on, your new employees will likely become less stressed as they get more comfortable. At this point, it’s important to keep them motivated and help them grow. You may also want to incorporate their feedback next time you hire someone new.

Consider these questions to ask new employees in the second month:

• Tell me about your best day and your worst day at this company so far.
• What has surprised you the most since you accepted this job?
• How does your current work align with the expectations you had on your first day?
• What helps you stay motivated and what doesn’t?
• What would you like to accomplish (for yourself and the company) in the next six months?
• If you were to make changes to your position, what would you do?

Want to Improve Your Onboarding Process?

Whether you need help thinking of more questions to ask new employees, or you want to overhaul your entire employee training process, a great HR services company can help.

At Rush Recruiting & HR, we can help you efficiently onboard, train, and retain employees so that your business can grow. Call us today at (503) 481-1285 to get started.