First Week Experience Pulse
Purpose: Test the immediate induction and Day 1 experience, identify practical friction and confirm the employee feels welcomed, safe and supported.
Timing: Send at the end of the first week, after the employee has completed the initial induction and has had enough exposure to their manager, team and work environment to comment on the start of their experience.
Keep follow-up rapid. Most issues identified at this stage — access, equipment, missing information, unclear priorities or lack of manager contact — should be treated as operational onboarding issues rather than deferred to periodic reporting.
Recommended question set
| Question | Type | Recommended wording | EOF driver | Employee Survey alignment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W1.1.1 | Scale | I felt welcomed by my manager and team. | Collaboration & Connection | Adapted from Employee Survey items 3.3.1 (respect) and 3.3.3 (colleague support). [3.3.1; 3.3.3] |
| W1.1.2 | Scale | The induction gave me the information I needed to get started effectively. | Systems & Processes | Adapted from Employee Survey item 2.4.1 on effective processes and systems. [2.4.1] |
| W1.1.3 | Scale | My manager or supervisor checked in with me during my first week and helped me get started. | Performance & Feedback | Adapted from Employee Survey item 2.6.2 on manager support for success. [2.6.2] |
| W1.1.4 | Scale | I understand the immediate priorities and expectations for my role. | Roles & Clarity | Adapted from Employee Survey item 2.1.3 on clarity of expectations. [2.1.3] |
| W1.1.5 | Scale | I have received the key information I need to work safely. | Health & Safety | Adapted from Employee Survey item 3.1.1 on physical safety and risk management. [3.1.1] |
| W1.1.6 | Scale | I have the basic access, tools, equipment and workspace I need to get started. | Tools & Equipment | Adapted from Employee Survey item 2.3.2; system access also relates to item 2.4.1. [2.3.2; 2.4.1] |
| W1.1.7 | Scale | I feel comfortable asking questions or raising concerns. | Wellbeing & Psychological Safety | EOF-aligned lifecycle item. The closest annual survey proxy is item 1.3.1, but it is not a direct comparator. [1.3.1 (proxy)] |
| W1.2.1 | Open Text | What has helped you get off to a good start? | Collaboration & Connection | EOF diagnostic item; no direct annual survey comparator. |
| W1.2.2 | Open Text | What has been unclear, missing or frustrating in your first week? | Systems & Processes | EOF diagnostic item; no direct annual survey comparator. |
Why these questions are included
| Question | Why it is included |
|---|---|
| W1.1.1 | Tests whether the employee has experienced an intentional welcome and early social connection with both manager and team — a basic condition for belonging and effective integration. |
| W1.1.2 | Directly tests whether the initial induction achieved its core purpose: giving the employee enough information to begin work effectively. |
| W1.1.3 | Confirms the manager has actively supported the transition from induction into the role. It tests manager activation, not simply whether a meeting was scheduled. |
| W1.1.4 | Checks whether the employee can translate induction and manager guidance into clear immediate priorities. Early ambiguity can be corrected before it becomes a performance issue. |
| W1.1.5 | Tests whether essential safety information has been provided early enough for the employee to work safely. This is particularly important across operational, field and higher-risk council roles. |
| W1.1.6 | Tests practical Day 1 readiness and early productivity. Missing access, tools, equipment or workspace is a common onboarding failure that can usually be resolved quickly. |
| W1.1.7 | Tests whether the employee feels able to seek clarification and surface concerns during a high-uncertainty period. It is an EOF-aligned psychological-safety diagnostic, not a direct annual-survey comparator. |
| W1.2.1 | Identifies onboarding practices, people and interventions that are working well so they can be retained and replicated. |
| W1.2.2 | Surfaces immediate friction that may not appear in scale items and creates a clear prompt for rapid operational follow-up. |
Interpretation
These items are intentionally focused on the conditions that should already be observable after one week. Most are adaptations of EOF / Employee Survey concepts rather than direct annual-survey comparators.
W1.1.7 is a psychological-safety diagnostic. Employee Survey item 1.3.1 is the closest proxy, but its subject is reporting unethical behaviour, so the two items should not be treated as equivalent measures.
Download current source: First Week Experience Pulse question set
Published download: Onboarding | First Week Pulse
Related: Onboarding Feedback | EOF and Employee Survey Alignment