An Exit Interview With Your Employees: Why And How To Go About It?

It sure did take immense hard work to build up a team and one that fetches your organization the kind of productivity it was hungry for. However, things seem to go in the other direction when attrition keeps happening at regular intervals, with you having to work and re-work over hiring the right talent every now and then.

Think about it, why are your employees leaving really?

Is there anything you can do to improve workplace dynamics and put a hold over the attrition rate that seems to be taking an ascent rapidly?

Yes, definitely you can. For you might have thought over and ignored it a zillion times, but conducting an exit interview is the first and most significant step in this direction. All you need to know are the pitfalls your team or the company has been working with. This ensured, improvements will step in automatically and there’ll be a good retention number for you to resume operations with full force.

Here are a few possible reasons for you to conduct an exit interview with every employee taking a departure from your company.

Why You Need to Do it?

There can be a multitude of reasons to make it more of an organizational habit, but here are the prime ones you need to think about.

A Feedback in the Most Natural Sense

Obviously, you need points to improve upon, and what better source than an employee himself. For sure he had great tenure working under you, but that does call for a valid feedback system still. You might be working with a marketing manager on a daily basis to create a great reputation for your brand, but it all depends on word-of-mouth as well.

Adding to the same, it’s high time you get over the myth of employees not talking about their former employers/corporations. Let him provide a constructive feedback on realistic terms and leave on a positive note.

A Candid Assessment of Where your Company Stands

You might have gone all big as far as numbers are concerned and the investors seem happy as well, but is that the real picture of the way your team functions operationally?

Of course not! The real picture is painted by the worker who works on-ground and toils to produce the result you desire. If it’s the workplace environment and culture you need to think over, then the most natural response would surely come from the inhabitant surviving and performing at the workplace. Even if it’s an efficient employee you lose, there always are ample chances to find the right reason and make amends – a thing that counts lucrative in the long run!

Gives You a Reality Check When Unaware

It goes without saying that you have a lot to cater to and it’s real impossible looking after each and everything happening at the workplace. A number of things (whether or not pertaining to work) happening within the team miss your radar. Importantly, these issues seem trivial at first, but have grave consequences afterwards. However, having a good work during the exit interview with the employees gives you a real picture of workplace dynamics happening and issues that need your concern.

How to Go About it?

There might be a number of things running across your mind, but all you got to do is play right with the basics. Conducting effective exit interviews depends on the way you chalk out an organized plan and keep your cool to perceive things in the right manner.

Here are some tips to make it easier than it sounds.

Keep your Initial Focus on Performing Employees

It’s highly important to know that all facts stated by an employee are genuine and valid in every sense. This can only be ensured on having the initial exit interviews with the efficient and productive workers of the team. Get to know the ground realities and then proceed to any decision. This way, you improve upon issues that deem right and are in the favor of company’s growth.

Ample Preparation to Help your Case

It’s really significant to be strong over the agenda you’ll attend the meeting with. Think about all that you can get done with, before the meeting. Things like an exit survey always prove lucrative in this direction. An essential point to understand is addressing the right issue timely, to prevent the further loss of any value employees. Preparation would make your case real strong and will help you to stay focused over the right approach also.

What to Say?

You may think that a little caution while speaking is all that’s required, but that’s not it.

It wouldn’t demand a lot of time to keep all points clear and be rehearsed regarding the questions you are going to pose.

Here are a few exit interview questions –

-  What is the reason to resign?

-  Where do you find the company working right? Or wrong?

-  How can the conditions be improved?

-  How does rest of the team feel about your decision?

-  Please describe your experience while working with this corporation.

-  What were the 3 best things about working with your manager?

-  What would you want to change about the workplace?

What Not to Say?

Probably, there are a zillion questions or facts you shouldn’t pose, but the prime and the most common ones are stated below.

-  Asking targeted questions about a specific set of workers.

-  Discussing over the office gossip, a thing highly non-reliable and futile.

-  Passing hints that you’ve already blacklisted a few employees.

-  Negative traits and pitfalls about the employee’s new organization.

-  Last but not the least, attempts to convince the employee to stay for a while longer.

There is so much you have absorbed and numerous things you need to check your approach over. Everything else left aside, an ex-employee teaches you ample about your company and the way it functions. Perceive it correctly and start working to take your brand towards greater heights.

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