In an exit interview, a human resources staff member meets with a terminating employee to obtain honest feedback. The interview provides you with a chance to learn about the employee’s experience and provide them with what they want out of the organization. Know how to conduct an exit interviewwith exiting employees can also provide valuable information that can help managers to avoid losing additional staff.
Managers and supervisors are encouraged to conduct exit interviews with employees who are leaving the organization. A good employee exit interview provides valuable feedback to the organization for organizational improvement and development, as long as the manager and the employee are in a trusting relationship. In order to improve the quality of your organization, know how to conduct an exit interview the information you gain from your exit interview is crucial throughout your employee termination process.
Researchers from Harvard Business Review found that nearly three-quarters of companies conducted exit interviews on employees, based on a study of 88 executives and 32 senior leaders belonging to 210 firms in 33 industries based in more than 35 countries. Accordingly, the exit interview outcome should provide actionable data, but only a third of participants could provide a specific example of an action that was taken in response to the data collected in the exit interview. Make sure you ask lots of questions in an exit interview.
Listen carefully to what the employee says during the interview, and make sure you get a sense of what they are trying to say and what they are not trying to say. The employee may not be expressing his or her feelings accurately with his or her words, so you may assume that you understand what the employee is explaining. To maximize the value of your exit interview, you need to be able to notice the subtle differences in meaning between the employee and yourself.
Additionally, you should also record what the employee says since you cannot trust your memory. If you take the time to write down the answers your exiting employee provides, the employee feels like you care about what he or she has to say. This will allow you to get more feedback and information than you might have otherwise been able to get. You will also be better able to retain key employees and improve workplace productivity if you understand the positive aspects of employment with your organization.
