Exit interviews. Why conduct them?

No organisation can avoid employee turnover. Losing an employee can be challenging and can put you under pressure but using the information gained from an exit interview can help to improve the employee experience going forward. It is an opportunity for growth and improvement and is well worth the time.

Conducting exit interviews can offer invaluable insights into the management practices, culture and areas for improvement within your business.

Why are exit interviews useful?

Most employees are happy to provide constructive feedback during exit interviews, something you might not expect.  You can gain an insight into what works and doesn’t work for your employees.

Regularly conducting exit interviews allows you to identify trends and common reasons for turnover. This can highlight issues that need addressing.

Improve your turnover figures by understanding why employees leave. With that understanding, you can implement changes to improve retention, such as better management training and practices, enhanced benefits, a more positive work environment or better working conditions.

Conducting exit interviews

It is best to conduct the interview in a private area, preferably during the employee’s last week. This timing ensures the feedback is fresh and can lead to the employee being honest in their opinions.

If you can, try to use someone neutral to conduct the interview, such as HR. This will help with honest responses. If this isn’t possible, consider using online surveys to enable you to capture the employee’s thoughts and feelings.

What should I ask?

Try to use a consistent structured process for interviewing each employee and use questions such as:

·        Why did you look for another job?

·        What aspects of your job did you enjoy the most and least?

·        Do you feel you had the support to perform your job effectively?

·        How was your relationship with your manager and fellow employees?

·        How would you describe the company culture?

If you understand the reasons behind employee turnover, you can make the right decisions to enhance your workplace, boost employee satisfaction, and ultimately reduce turnover. Investing time and resources into a structured exit interview process can improve your business in the long run.