The Exit interview
It is a Human Resources best practice to conduct an Exit Interview with every person that voluntarily leaves your company. Why? If you find out why people are leaving, then you can look for trends and make operational changes to try and reduce future turnover.
Seems simple enough. But why (including myself) do HR leaders often miss this step in the termination process?
The reasons are endless – not enough time, we meant to, but their last day snuck up on us, we were so busy with all of the required paperwork – we didn’t get to this part, or the manager didn’t tell us they put in their notice. Sometimes it can be avoidance – “if I ask, then I have to do something about it”, or maybe we are uncomfortable with this type of employee conversation. Sometimes we say to ourselves that we “know” why they leave - -but do we really?
Ideally, on an employee’s last day, while they are still on the clock, we should have someone capable, confidential and thoughtful ask a few questions about why the person has decided to leave the company, what were the best parts of working for the company and what items would they change if they could? If you wait until someone no longer works for the company, they may never return your call – after all, you are now on their time, and they have no obligation to respond. You can send a survey, but really, who likes impersonal surveys? You can incentivize them to return the survey, but that can get costly. Really, it is better to just have a meaningful conversation. If you hold the dialog on their last day, or very near to their last day with a commitment to not share their feedback until after their final day – then you create a space for them to share honestly and frankly. Some still may be hesitant to be open and direct, setting a safe stage will encourage them to do so.
When you are looking for exit trends, understanding pay and benefits that drive people to other companies is important, but look for other things too. There is a saying that “employees leave managers, not companies”. Is there something in the work environment that has caused them to look for a better workplace? Supply issues? Staffing shortages? Lack of recognition? We can’t overlook leadership challenges either. If there is consistent turnover around a specific leader or actions of leadership, then we have to look at our ranks and hierarchy, their training, their communication skills, and their commitment to a healthy positive work environment.
Even better than the exit interview is the “stay interview”. What if you ask active employees, “what keeps you here”? And ask often. This is called a “stay interview”, where you are touching bases with your team regularly, outside of any performance management process, a rap session if you will. You can theme a topic of the month or quarter. Ask “what is working”, “what is not working” and you can have a specific target question on top of that – maybe targeting a process, or a new procedure to gather feedback. You can use “Red, Yellow, Green” where Red = what should we stop doing, Yellow = what is an opportunity for improvement and Green = what is good that we should keep doing or do more of?
Finding out what keeps an employee working with your company can help you reinforce what is working well. Regularly connecting with your teams will help them feel a part of the process and can help improve their work experience. It will also give your employees a chance to discuss any issues they are experiencing while the issue is small enough to manage.
The stay interview is also a perfect time to celebrate the great things your employee brings to their work, and to discuss your team’s career interests and find out if they are looking to take on a special project, join a committee or try a new department. Rewarding work experiences and career growth both contribute to a meaningful work environment and a longer tenure.
If you need support or assistance with the Exit Interview process, reach out and let’s talk. I provide Exit Interview and Stay Interview services to help companies identify trends that address employee relations challenges and celebrate the things that are right on track.