Pros and Cons of Excluding New Joiners from the Annual Employee Survey — and How to Navigate This Challenge

In a recent discussion with a client, I was discussing whether or not to include their new joiners in the WellWise Employee Survey. I thought I'd share some thoughts on this that might help others to make the right decision for their organisation.

In many organizations, annual employee surveys provide essential insights into workforce engagement, culture, and wellbeing. Yet a common debate arises around whether new hires should be included in these surveys. This article explores the pros and cons of excluding new joiners and offers strategies to navigate this decision effectively, ensuring your survey captures valuable insights without compromising data quality.

Pros of excluding new joiners

Accurate representation of long-term experience New hires typically lack the depth of understanding regarding company culture, internal processes, and leadership that long-term employees possess. By excluding them, you reduce the likelihood of survey responses based on surface-level impressions rather than sustained experiences. This approach helps maintain data integrity and ensures that insights reflect a comprehensive understanding of the company’s environment.

Reduced noise in data Including new employees may introduce variability and “noise” into survey results. New hires often experience a honeymoon period or early frustrations as they adjust, which can skew results. Excluding them can create a cleaner data set that more accurately reflects the experience of employees who are fully embedded in the organization.

Avoiding survey fatigue for new employees Bombarding new joiners with a survey early on could contribute to survey fatigue. In their first months, new employees often already face onboarding surveys, check-ins, and performance evaluations. Excluding them from the annual survey provides breathing room, allowing them to settle in without adding more to their workload.

Cons of Excluding New Joiners

Missed fresh perspectives New employees bring valuable insights that can highlight blind spots existing employees may overlook. Their perspectives can be especially useful in assessing the onboarding experience, early impressions of company culture, and training efficacy. Omitting new hires from the survey could mean missing out on insights that reveal critical areas for improvement.

Inconsistent feedback from year to year Excluding new hires may create gaps in year-over-year comparisons, especially in organizations with high turnover. If a significant portion of your workforce is new, omitting their input could lead to an incomplete picture of your current culture and wellbeing. Including their perspectives could enhance longitudinal data consistency and provide a fuller view of organizational sentiment over time.

Potential feelings of exclusion New hires may feel sidelined if they’re not invited to participate in the survey, especially if it’s emphasized as an essential voice for organizational development. Exclusion can foster disengagement at an early stage, undermining efforts to build an inclusive environment. Employees who feel their input matters are more likely to engage with their roles and the organization’s mission.

Navigating the decision: Balancing exclusion with inclusion

If you decide to exclude new hires from the primary survey, consider alternative ways to capture their perspectives. Here’s a roadmap to navigate this challenge while maximizing your survey’s effectiveness:

Conduct a separate new hire survey Design a tailored survey specifically for new employees that aligns with your primary annual survey themes. This could include questions about the onboarding experience, cultural alignment, role expectations, and early impressions. Comparing results from both surveys can help identify potential disconnects between the experiences of new and long-term employees.

Set a participation threshold Instead of an all-or-nothing approach, consider a minimum tenure threshold, such as three to six months, for survey eligibility. This compromise allows new hires to gain a meaningful understanding of the company before participating, while still capturing fresh perspectives.

Include optional new hire sections Include a specific section in the main survey for employees who’ve been with the company for less than a year. This allows new hires to participate meaningfully without affecting responses tied to long-term experience. This section can focus on initial engagement, satisfaction with onboarding, and general feedback on early experiences.

Conduct focus groups or interviews with new hires In-depth discussions with recent joiners can provide nuanced insights that surveys may miss. Focus groups allow new hires to share feedback in an open format, where context and tone offer additional layers of insight. These sessions can uncover trends and provide actionable data that complements survey results.

Analyze demographics for targeted insights When analyzing survey results, consider segmenting responses by tenure to compare insights from new and longer-tenured employees. This approach helps identify any significant differences in experience that may require targeted interventions, without necessitating new hire exclusion from the survey.

The WellWise Diagnostics System includes an adaptable Employee Survey that can be shaped to account for all of these possible solutions. If this is a challenge you currently face with your exisiting survey methodology, please reach out to see how we can help you manage this more effectively, yielding better quality insights upon which strategic decisions and continuous improvement can be based and measured.