If exit interviews at your company consist of handing over an employee’s final check and sending them on their way, it might be time to update your exit interview process. There is a lot to be gained from talking to departing employees. Understanding why people are leaving can do a lot in the ever present effort to reduce turnover and improve the work environment. Here are some tips for revamping your exit interview process.
Conducting the Interview
Whenever possible, the exit interview should be done by someone other than the departing employee’s supervisor. Exit interviews should be conducted with anyone voluntarily leaving the company. Hold the interview in a private location (e.g. an office or conference room), and keep the interview short. A departing employee probably will not want to be stuck in an hour-long meeting on their last day.
Remember that some employees will be hesitant to share honest responses because they worry that negative comments may lead to a bad reference. Let the employee know that you will remove identifying information from their feedback when sharing it with others. Give the employee their final check and any required paperwork. Then spend the remainder of the interview asking questions to learn about the employee’s decision to leave.
Asking the Right Questions
Give the employee a chance to summarize their experience with your company. This will give you an idea if there are areas you should ask them about. I also like to ask an employee why they decided to start looking for another job. After all, the decision to leave started with the decision to look for opportunities outside of the company. You want your best employees to look for a new job internally rather than seeking out another company.
If an employee is reluctant to share their reason for seeking work elsewhere, their decision may have been personal. If an employee shares that their reason for leaving is for their own serious medical condition or to care for an ill family member, they may qualify for a leave. I one time sat across from a departing employee who said his reason for leaving was to care for his mother who was just diagnosed with breast cancer. When I told him that that was a leave qualifying reason, he told me he was unaware that he could take a leave for that reason. Sometimes when we skip an exit interview, we miss out on helping an employee keep their job.
When asking questions, let the employee do most of the talking. The purpose of the exit interview is not to solve problems for the employee. They have already made the decision to leave. You simply want to gather information you can use to improve the work experience for other employees.
Using what you Learn
Do not just toss your exit interview notes in a file you never look at. You went to the trouble of getting the information, and a departing employee took the time to share their feedback, so use it to improve the work experience. Even if it’s a basic Excel spreadsheet, track the reasons people left. Focus on the reasons you have control over (e.g. lack of opportunity for advancements, unresolved problems with a supervisor, inadequate training). This will give you some of the data you need to justify changes at the company.
For example, if inadequate training comes up repeatedly, it may be a sign that you need to invest resources in creating more robust training programs. If employees mention that they are leaving for jobs with better benefits, use that information to support the case for spending more on insurance or adding more benefits. Taking the time to talk to employees on their last day can give you valuable insights into what is causing turnover in your workplace.
In my next post, I will look at what happens when you are forced to make the decision to have an employee leave the company and how to make the termination meeting go as smoothly as possible.
About the Author
Stephanie Hammerwold, PHR, is the owner of Hammerwold & Pershing Consulting and specializes in small business HR support. Stephanie is a regular contributor at Blogging4Jobs and The HR Gazette, and she gives presentations on a variety of job search and workplace topics. She specializes in training, employee relations, women’s issues and writing employment policy. Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.