Before you go… - conducting exit interviews

HR Magazine, Dec, 1998 by Paul W. Barada

To discover why good employees are leaving, you may have to revamp your exit interviews.

Why do companies lose good employees? The answer may seem obvious: Another company made a better offer and it was accepted. And that's all there is to it.

That ostrichlike presumption fails to consider - let alone identify - any underlying issues that may have contributed to the employee's decision to leave. To be sure, employees often leave solely because they were wooed by the promise of more money or a promotion. But valued employees often leave for other, less obvious, reasons.

To uncover those reasons, many employers conduct exit interviews; however, the flaws in traditional exit interviews often defeat their purpose.

THE TRADITIONAL EXIT INTERVIEW

It's an employee's last day on the job. He is stressed out trying to finish up last-minute items and pack up his office. He may be sad to leave behind trusted colleagues and valued friends, or he may feel sentimental after his colleagues have treated him to a farewell lunch. He may even be angry at his soon-to-be former employer or a little anxious about his new job.

Is this really the time you want to put him through an exit interview?

Probably not. Yet this is exactly when most employers conduct this valuable session. It's hard to imagine a worse day for this type of exercise.

After all, departing employees may be reluctant to give you honest answers in an exit interview for fear of burning their bridges. When you interview them in the midst of an emotional departure, it makes it even more difficult for them to give you the clear, rational responses that you need to improve your workplace.

To avoid this situation, employers can try a new strategy to make the most of exit interviews.

WHO ASKS THE QUESTIONS?

Who should do the interview? If you anticipate that former employees may have negative feelings about their experiences at your organization, consider asking an outside agency to conduct your exit interviews. Former employees probably will be more willing to talk candidly with a disinterested third party because it can transform the conversation into a discussion about "them" instead of "us."

Using outside agencies can overcome the reticence of employees who are afraid of burning their bridges. A departing employee who thought her immediate superior was incompetent is unlikely to reveal that information to a company employee.

If you decide to perform exit interviews internally, you still need to decide which employee will make the call. To obtain the best information, the interviewer should be at least one step removed from the functional area in which the former employee worked.

That means the interviewer should come from the human resource or personnel area. There are at least two reasons for this. First, HR professionals generally are better trained in the art of exit interviewing. Second, if there are problems that need to be addressed within a functional area, it doesn't make much sense to have someone from that area asking why the employee is leaving. Under those circumstances, candor would be highly unlikely.

INTERVIEWING TIPS

Regardless of who conducts them, exit interviews should be structured to elicit frank responses.

How can you do that? For starters, don't conduct exit interviews on an employee's last day. In fact, don't conduct interviews at all until after employees have left the job.

How can you be sure they will participate once they've left your organization? On their last day, explain that your organization is instituting an improvement program and that their opinions will be a valuable part of this program. Then ask if someone can call in about a week for an exit interview. This gives departing employees a chance to think about their responses and makes it more likely that they will respond.

Be sure to ask how employees can be contacted. They may not want to discuss your organization on their new job, so give them the option of being called at home. When you make the initial call, always offer to call at another time that will be more convenient. Try, however, to set a specific time.

Conduct the exit interview approximately seven to 10 days after the employee's departure. After about a week, employees will be far more willing to talk calmly, candidly and objectively about your organization and their decision to leave. The emotional maelstrom of their last day on the job will have passed and rationality will have returned.

Waiting more than 10 days tends to have the reverse effect. Deeply held feelings tend to diminish, and the willingness to go through an exit interview is likely to decline. The 10-day window, therefore, is probably the ideal time to maximize the collection of useful information.

Ask former employees if their comments can be shared with others beyond the company's personnel department. If the answer is "no," then any comments must be kept confidential. This assures former employees that their views are important and respected and that the request for confidentiality will be honored. It also allows the former employee to speak freely about past supervisors and colleagues.