How to conduct an exit interview
Employees leave organisations for a variety of reasons- a desire to pursue other careers, offers too good to refuse, imposed retrenchments, or dissatisfaction with their current positions. Exit interviews are conducted just before an employee leaves. The meetings not only provide valuable information that can benefit the organisation but also attempt to end the relationship harmoniously...
1. Develop and implement an exit procedure.
Exit interviews are a valuable management practice that should occur for every employee leaving your organisation. The interviews offer a fleeting opportunity to gather information about your organisation that might otherwise be difficult to obtain, and provide a parting employee with the chance to be far more frank than he or she might normally be. It provides an excellent mechanism for taking a good hard look at your organisation.
Make sure that all employees know the importance you place on such interviews. Assign the responsibility to one person - the general manager, the human resource manager, or their nominee.
2. Plan for the interview.
An exit interview is more than an informal chit-chat. It allows an employee the opportunity to explain reasons for resigning or to reflect on the period of employment. The interview procedure should focus on a detailed list of questions designed to get the information you consider relevant to organisational improvement. General headings might include ‘leadership’, ‘my management’, ‘training’, ‘unfulfilled expectations’, ‘policies’, ‘morale’, ‘customer service’, and ‘salary’. The employee responses will provide valuable data for use in improving operational effectiveness.
3. Schedule the interview.
You want an open discussion, so the timing and the venue will be most important. For a senior employee, for example, you or your nominee may decide to conduct the meeting over lunch. During the last week is a good time for that meeting. Tell the departing employee that you intend to take notes so that you will consider and perhaps act on relevant comments. The number of times a similar item is recorded during other such interviews indicates a direction for your follow-up actions.
