Exit Interviews and Why They Help You Identify Areas to Improve
Yes, exit interviews can sometimes be exhausting. And yes, a departing employee might be hesitant to give you open and honest feedback. And yes, there are going to be times when you don’t want it verbalized because you know you have a problem.
But exit interviews are useful tools when handled correctly and can deliver important information allowing companies to make improvements. Let’s dive in to why exit interviews are important:
Identify areas for improvement, such as workload, work environment, compensation, benefits, training & development, and work-life balance.
Identify areas of concern, including problematic managers, ethical issues, bullying, or discrimination.
Review offboarding procedures, such as language regarding non-compete, non-disclosure or non-solicitation agreements as well as intellectual property.
Employees are generally not required to participate in Exit Interviews, but you should make every effort to encourage employees to do so. And keep in mind, these departing tasks can be handled in multiple ways - interview style, via Survey Monkey or Google Form, as well as providing feedback anonymously.
So how do you get better information?
Use targeted questions. Instead of asking “YES or NO” if the employee liked working here, ask “Which benefit did you find the most desirable and why” and “Which benefit would you recommend we improve and why"?”
Ask employees HOW they used their strengths at your company and which strength did they not get to use. This will also help you in recruiting for their position.
Make the exit interview easy to complete. If interview style, keep the meeting to 30 minutes or less. If survey style, keep the questions to between 10-20 questions.
Don’t wait until the last day. A lot is going on during the employee’s last day and the interview will feel rushed. Schedule the interview at least one week before the employee’s last work day.
Thank the employee. It’s a small gesture that can go a long way. And don’t forget, a departing employee can either be a positive or a negative in your recruitment process. Thank the employee for being part of your team and wish them much success in their new role.
Lastly, don’t toss exit interview data into a folder (paper or electronic) and do nothing with it. Share key points at your next manager’s meeting and always be looking for ways to improve. Make the process meaningful.
#performance #exitinterview #employeefeedback
