Recently, I did some research into the theory around the effectiveness of and opinions about the Exit Interview. It became clear very quickly that the opinions differ. Many articles sing praise of the exit interviews. I also came across quite a few articles that said they are not effective. Some went as far to stat that it’s better to not share anything negative. They said “it will come back to bite you”. My view is, the writers of the negative view have been exposed to bad interviews. They may have suffered from the bad consequences from being honest. And that is regrettable.
The bottom line is: I am a fan of the Exit Interview, but it needs to be done well. In this article, we discuss how you design an effective exit interview philosophy. In a separate article, we will discuss how to implement a policy and procedure that work.
The Interview: Purpose and Philosophy
The purpose of the interview should be retrieving information about the company, culture and work. You learn what went well and what needs to improve. You can identify leadership doesn’t see, hear or realize. In addition, it can bring valuable information on what your competition is doing in the job marketplace. I have executed countless exit interviews, and we got useful information about practically all of them. The interview, ideally, is part of an on-going employee feedback process.
However, it is important to execute the employee feedback process well. If you don’t it may mean you don’t get the information you are looking for. In addition, you may damage relationships with the soon-to-be former employees. If the only meaningful feedback discussions are the actual exit interviews, chances are you are getting crucial information too late.
But, do it well, and you can expect helpful information about your company and the situation at other companies. Below, I list the elements of a Feedback and Exit Interview philosophy.
Part of Communication Chain
The exit interview should be the last meaningful discussion in a long chain of feedback initiatives and discussions. Think of ongoing talks between the employee and employer. You can implement formal employee engagement instruments. In addition, your HR team can play a role over the full span of the employee’s career. In other words, whatever comes out of the exit interview should not be a big surprise. It should have already been discussed in previous interactions.
Implement Stay Interviews
Ideally, the company and employees have so-called ‘stay interviews’ throughout the employee’s career. In these discussions, employer and employee discuss progress, areas of improvement, needs and wishes. Subsequently, they act on them. Areas that are important to the employee are discussed on time, and where possible, addressed adequately.
One of the main advantages of the stay interview is timeliness. The employer gets the information while the employee is still working for the company. Any changes the employer makes, the employee will feel. The exit interview can’t have that result: it may help the other, remaining employees. The interviewed employee will still walk out of the door after the interview.
Focus on the Positives
In exit interview, the employee has the opportunity to discuss what went well: the positives. It is important for management to collect this data. It can confirm the company’s culture, processes, instruments and the fact that they work. Management can also find unintended, positive side effects of for instance culture and leadership style. If management has access this data, they can actively work to instill and enhance these elements.
Be open to the improvement opportunities
It also provides the opportunity for the employee to discuss negative topics. Especially if these led to the employee’s decision to leave, your ears should perk up. Good interview question lists discuss leadership style, trust, cooperation, team dynamics, compensation, benefits, and work-life balance. Any negative comments in these areas should trigger further investigation and if needed, corrective actions.
Obtain Competitor Information It provides management with crucial information on what the competition is doing. Are there major differences in compensation or benefits? Is there a difference in approach for time off, flexible working arrangements? In general, it can provide data points on what others are doing, and whether or not that is important.
Use the Information to Improve your Offering
The ultimate goal is to ensure that your talent does not leave for reasons you could have prevented. For instance, you may be able to spot trends in leadership style or compensation. You can use this to positively affect the engagement of staff. For that, you need good questions and honest answers. You also need management’s sincere willingness to strengthen the positives and improve the negatives.
Read more on how to implement a sound process in our separate post
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Soaring + Company helps companies be more successful by improving their employees, processes and systems. We examine your current practices and identify areas of improvement. We implement these to create a sustainable effect on effectiveness and efficiency. For instance, we can help you and implement an effective exit interview process. Find us on Twitter and LinkedIn, or reach out to us directly, and let us help you reach new heights.
