In a previous BLOG (Turnover Lessons) I discussed the importance of calculating the yearly employee turn-over rate, which is often not calculated by companies large and small. Reducing employee turn-over is not only a cost saving, but is tied to a more productive, quality oriented, engaged, customer focused team, which should ultimately translate in a more profitable business.

I followed up with my BLOG (Employee Engagement) and covered the how to’s of getting your team to be engaged, and how to measure their engagement over time. I also covered why employees feel dissatisfied and loose their enthusiasm and engagement.

In this third BLOG, I would like to revisit exit interviews, a long-standing HR tool that has lost some of its attractiveness and appeal over the recent years. Throughout many years in management and consulting, I found exit interviews extremely helpful in identifying the reasons for employee turn-over, for both voluntary and involuntary turn-over.

The key to make exit interviews valuable is certainly tied to the experience, ability, and independence of the interviewer. Not everybody has the ability and skill to conduct them, and the usefulness of the interview is directly tied to how the exiting employee perceives the independence of the interviewer. If the employee feels that the interviewer is biased, or that it is just a routine HR process that won’t make any difference, the outcome will be a total waste of time for both parties.

When done right, however, exit interviews can help management in seven key areas:

1. Uncover issues of dissatisfaction relating to HR management.
2. Understand employee’s perceptions of the work itself and how individual work contributes to the whole.
3. Learn about HR benchmarks including salary, benefits, and policies in a competitive market place.
4. Gain insight into managers leadership styles and effectiveness.
5. Foster and encourage innovation by soliciting ideas and suggestions for improving the organization and the team spirit.
6. Create lifelong advocates for the organization. This is especially true when the reason for leaving is not directly related to work, i.e., personal reasons, family, logistics, promotions, etc.
7. Find out if the employee would consider re-joining in future.

Input from these seven key areas can help uncover weaknesses of the organization and provide suggested remedies for improved teamwork and overall management. Revisiting how exit interviews are conducted, by whom, and what questions need to be asked will help you attract, retain, and develop stronger human talents for your organization.

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