Employee onboarding forms: Templates and use cases

Picture this: it’s your first day at a new job and you are handed a pile of forms to complete. The paperwork feels endless and some fields seem repetitive. Now imagine the opposite: intuitive, streamlined forms that are easy to complete.

Employee forms are much more than just paperwork: they’re the building blocks of a smooth onboarding experience and a first impression of how organised your company is.

SurveyMonkey employee form templates support all stages of employee onboarding, providing easy ways to boost employee experience. This guide highlights these essential forms, explores why they matter and shares best practices for customising and sharing your own forms. 

Effective onboarding requires well-designed forms to ensure a successful new hire journey. Here are the key onboarding forms that every HR team should use:

Use a personal information form to collect essential employee data, including name, contact details and emergency contacts, for accurate records and swift emergency communication.

An emergency contact form collects crucial contact information for urgent situations. Use this form to provide support during emergencies and enhance workplace safety.

Employees can securely provide their banking details for payroll processing via direct deposit authorisation forms. Direct deposits reduce the risk of processing errors, so employees can receive their pay on time. 

Use an onboarding checklist to outline important onboarding steps, from paperwork to training schedules.

These forms are essential for payroll and tax compliance. A completed P45 ensures accurate tax withholding based on filing status and allowances. Provide clear instructions to help employees avoid mistakes and delays.

After new hires have completed benefits enrolment, send an employee benefits survey to gather feedback on the process. This helps HR identify valued benefits and areas for improvement. 

This onboarding survey gathers feedback from new hires about their experience, helping HR identify how to improve onboarding processes.

HR employee forms can help build a positive and efficient onboarding experience. Here’s how: 

Employee forms provide a consistent framework for hiring staff and reducing inefficiencies and errors. This saves time and allows HR professionals to focus on supporting new hires and building better onboarding processes.

Platforms like SurveyMonkey streamline onboarding with customisable templates and automation tools, enhancing the experience for HR teams and new hires. Automation reduces repetitive tasks and human error, ensuring accurate form completion.

Employee forms often collect sensitive information, such as personal details and banking information. Digital forms stored in secure systems help companies achieve compliance with data protection laws and mitigate breaches or unauthorised access risks.

It is essential to securely protect employee data and comply with laws. Use a platform with strong security features, such as encryption and access controls, to safeguard sensitive information and comply with data protection regulations.

Efficient onboarding builds trust between employees and the organisation. A professional onboarding experience makes new hires feel valued and engaged, leading to greater job satisfaction and retention. Well-organised forms also minimise frustration with paperwork, boosting employee morale and trust.

It is easy to design employee forms using SurveyMonkey features and customisable templates: 

For HR teams requiring e more control over their forms, SurveyMonkey provides the flexibility to build employee forms from scratch:

SurveyMonkey offers a comprehensive suite of employee-focused templates to help you create employee forms faster: 

Leverage AI to quickly generate employee forms based on your HR goals: 

Creating effective employee forms requires thoughtful design and strategic implementation. Here are six best practices to ensure that your forms are efficient and user-friendly:

Use clear, concise instructions to guide employees through each form section. Simplifying instructions reduces errors and makes the form accessible to everyone.

Hosting forms on your HR portal lets employees submit them online, streamlining the process and saving time by eliminating the need for printing and scanning.

Avoid overloading forms with unnecessary fields to prevent frustration and low response rates. Collect only essential data, such as personal details, tax information and emergency contacts.

Life has a habit of getting busy and employees may not complete forms in one sitting. Allow employees to save their progress and return to complete forms later, reducing incorrect or incomplete submissions. 

Onboarding processes often require additional documents such as IDs or certifications. File upload options allow employees to easily submit all the necessary files in one location.

Employees should receive a confirmation email after submitting forms, reassuring them that their information was received and providing a reference for future queries.

SurveyMonkey simplifies the onboarding process with a variety of ready-to-use templates: 

Streamline the candidate evaluation process with a job application form template. These forms help you gather all the necessary information from applicants, making it easier to assess their qualifications and suitability for the role.

Kick-start the new hire data collection process with an employee information form template that captures essential personal and professional details. This form ensures that all of the critical information is gathered upfront, facilitating the new hire’s smooth integration into the organisation.

Include an employee onboarding checklist to keep track of completed tasks and outstanding items.

SurveyMonkey is more than just a form builder: it’s an all-in-one solution for managing employee forms efficiently. Here’s why HR professionals trust it:

Transform your onboarding process with easy-to-use SurveyMonkey templates and features. With well-structured employee forms, HR professionals can optimise onboarding and improve their employee experience management strategies.