Did you know that exit interviews can actually improve employee satisfaction and staff retention? Exit interviews can shed some light on hostile work environments, employee concerns or departmental conflicts. Exit interviews can actually be quite informative, since the information shared can help organizations in making improvements that will keep their employees happy and satisfied.
Exit interviews can shed some light on issues that may have gone unnoticed. Believe it or not, sometimes an employee may choose to leave the organization due to reasons that stem far beyond salary concerns. For instance, an exit interview can uncover issues that an employee has had with a certain department. Many things can play into an employee’s dissatisfaction and decision to leave. Sometimes an employee may keep things to his or herself and the information that they share in their exit interview may actually bring important things to HR’s attention.
Sometimes, the way a manager leads his team can play a huge role in employee satisfaction. Leadership style can also be a reason behind an employee’s departure. An exit interview will allow the HR department to learn more about the a manager’s leadership from the comments employees share prior to their exit. As a result, this will allow managers to learn how to lead effectively in order to arrive at effective outcomes. Managers must ask their employees for feedback in order to ensure a proactive method of interaction.
An exit interview shouldn’t only encompass an employee’s experience. It should cover broader issues such as areas in the organization they believe should be improved, or any comments they have about the company’s strategy. Asking departing employees what they believe needs to be improved in the organization may reveal some trends that can beneficially serve future innovations.
During the exit interview make sure you ask the departing employee what they think about the company’s culture. What did they like or dislike about it? What do they believe could be done to improve it? Asking for their feedback will help you learn things about your company’s culture that you may have previously been unaware of. Moreover, these questions are critically important from a performance management perspective, as there’s always a direct link between a company’s performance and a company’s culture.