The benefits of exit interviews 

Does your organisation routinely conduct exit interviews with departing employees? If not, you could really be missing a trick. Employees will always leave despite how good your company culture is, whether it’s for a change in career, family commitments or the opportunity to progress in their chosen career. The benefits of exit interviews can offer not only an insight into the employee but the chance for an employer to understand things about their business and how to improve things and learn for the future.

The benefits of an exit interview

• They could give HR the opportunity to gain information about the reasons behind employee turnover, which may help to reduce turnover in the future if the information is acted upon.
• They may give insights into problems in the organisation that were not otherwise obvious. For example, they may highlight problems with specific managers.
• Exit interviews can give you valuable insight into the recruitment, induction and training needs of your business, where are you doing well and where are you falling short.
• The exit interview allows the employee to provide constructive feedback and leave on a positive note.
• The employer may be able to get information about the employee’s new job-and about the new benefits that were attractive enough to entice someone to leave. It may include new insights about what is on offer with other firms.

Tips for a successful exit interview

So how do you conduct this in a successful way that’s beneficial to all involved?

• We would advise that you conduct the interview as soon as possible after the employee has tendered their resignation, rather than waiting until the end of their notice period. This will ensure their reasons for leaving are fresh in their mind and at this point they are still engaged.
• Using a neutral person who is well informed of the role and person involved will be beneficial as opposed to their direct line manager. Honest answers will be given if the person feels comfortable talking to someone that they didn’t immediately work for. A HR team member usually is the best option, because they can focus on role-specific issues and complaints or suggestions for the organisation as a whole. Some companies choose to have external consultants perform exit interviews.
• Make sure the employee has had time to prepare their answers and a short questionnaire is always a good idea to enable both parties time to read through and ensure the meeting is structured to gain valuable insight.
• If possible a face to face interview is always best-You show that you care about your employees’ opinions by dedicating time to listen to what they have to say.

The information gained from an exit interview can be invaluable to the growth of your business. For further information on the benefits of and conducting exit interviews please contact us here.