EXIT INTERVIEW- Purpose, Process and Format

EXIT INTERVIEW- Purpose, Process and Format

We always talk/write about relations and respect every relation. Relation between employer and
employee is also one such relation. Gone are the days when people use to stick to one job for rest of
their life. The trust is lost and the faith is lost as well from both sides. If an employer is having a policy
of hire and fire, employees are also free to change their jobs whenever they want. We are only
reaping the fruits from the trees sown by us. Anyway, if you are sitting across the table with your
employee for an exit interview, probably that is the last opportunity for you to change his mind and to
retain him and if you are able to do it, you are not only brilliant but excellent HR Professional.

As we need experts to take hiring interviews…we also need experts to take EXIT Interviews. Not
everyone can take exit interview.

Purpose While attrition is a natural process for organizations, replacing employees is expensive.
The cost goes beyond merely placing an advertisement for the opening in a newspaper. It includes
training a new employee, staff time for selecting a new employee, lost productivity while the position
is open and lost productivity until the new employee gets up to speed. Understanding why people
voluntarily leave the company can provide an opportunity for the firm to make changes to reduce
turnover rates -- and reduce the associated costs.

The exit interview serves a number of important functions. When trends in voluntary separations are
tracked, the firm may be provided a valuable heads up concerning discrimination problems. It can be
anything : Discrimination between expertise, Discrimination between profiles, Discrimination between
Grades or categories or bands likewise . If a trend reveals an inordinate number of women and
minorities are resigning, there could be a lack of advancement opportunities. By exploring these
issues through exit interviews, the company can learn about the issue and take corrective action.

Valuable feedback concerning training and development can be obtained during the exit interview. If
employees feel they are not properly trained to perform the responsibilities of their jobs, they may
leave. If employees feel that the assignments are not matching to their core competence which
compel them to perform poorly. Or some may leave when they perceive there is a lack of
opportunities for future positions. Using the exit interview effectively can also provide the company
with valuable feedback concerning benefits and compensation. This can be both negative and
positive. It is equally important to know what employees’ value and what they would like to see
changed. The organization can provide a more competitive compensation and benefits package if
they utilize this feedback.

The public relations aspect of the exit interview is equally important. The interview is an opportunity
for the employer to end the employee's time with the company on a positive note. A new relationship
with the departing employee may be created. As the employee departs with positive feelings about
the organization, this will be communicated to remaining employees, local community / technical
fraternity and future employees. The end result may even be ease of recruiting future applicants.

Check List for the Exit Interview: The exit interview is an interview given to a departing
employee. This is usually done for employees that voluntarily quit instead of those that are fired or
laid off. Exit interviews offer a fleeting opportunity to find out information that otherwise might be
more difficult or impossible to obtain.

1. Think carefully about the information you would like to get before the interview. This greatly
increases the odds of a successful interview.
2. Save the hardest questions for the latter part of the interview. Work up to the tough stuff.
3. Be prepared for some bombshells. Expect the unexpected – if it ever is to happen it will happen in
an exit interview.
4. Carefully select the interviewer. Look for someone that listens well and is open-minded. It serves
no purpose for the interviewer to get into an argument with the departing employee.
5. Throughout the interview stay focused on the employee.
6. Look for open-ended questions that allow for plenty of expression. An example of this might be
"how did you feel during your employment with us?" or "how do you feel the company is run?"
7. Try to find out if there were things the departing employee would suggest improving conditions,
production or morale.
8. Try to get a good feel for how they viewed their compensation and benefits package.
9. Leave room at the end of the interview for general comments.
10. Take notes of the high points. Get the general idea – it is not essential to get exact quotes. It is
more important to listen than write.
11. Immediately after the interview determine whether you would rehire the employee. Mention
accordingly in your HR database where rehire recommended or not.
12. Make use of the information gathered. If you do not use this new information then why do an exit
interview?
The exit interview provides us with a good mechanism to take a hard look at how your company is
perceived. Since the employee is leaving, they will often be more open and frank in their discussions
about the company.
Those companies that do not conduct exit interviews miss out on a great opportunity.

Conducting the Interview HR managers are a critical part of the separation process. Exit
interviews are traditionally conducted by HR staff members with the knowledge and input of the
immediate manger of the departing employee. Using HR managers as interviewers, improves the
chance employees will open up and provide more valuable feedback. We need to ensure that exit
interview should not taken by same department manager or same HR representative of the
employee, otherwise employee will not open up or end up with arguments.

There are a number of key issues to keep in mind. The interviewer should always begin the process
on a positive note - perhaps by offering a thank you for the employee's service to the organization.
And above all, the employee should always be treated with dignity and respect. In some sensitive
situations, employees may even be asked how they would like their departure to be handled with
peers. It is important for every organization to ensure that all employees leaving the company
(especially those leaving for disciplinary reasons or lack of performance) have been provided due
process. Every individual must be given the opportunity to have his or her side of the issue heard. It
is always important to provide documentation. If the employee has resigned, a letter of resignation
should be included with the termination paperwork.

The primary key to an effective exit interview is preparation. The planning becomes an essential
component of success in conducting the exit interview. Interviewers should plan out issues to be
covered and the questions to be asked. Structured interviews are recommended with the use of
questions prepared in advance.

Questions to be asked in Exit Interview

1. What is your primary reason for leaving?
2. Did anything trigger your decision to leave?
3. What was most satisfying about your job?
4. What was least satisfying about your job?
5. What would you change about your job?
6. Did your job duties turn out to be as you expected?
7. Did you receive enough training to do your job effectively?
8. Did you receive adequate support to do your job?
9. Did you receive sufficient feedback about your performance between Performance Management?
10. Were you satisfied with this company's Performance Management process?
11. Did this company help you to fulfill your career goals?
12. What would you improve to make our workplace better?
13. Were you happy with your pay, benefits and other incentives?
14. What could your immediate boss do to improve his or her management style?
15. Based on your experience with us, what do you think it takes to succeed at this company?
16. Did any company policies or procedures (or any other obstacles) make your job more difficult?
17. Would you consider working again for this company in the future?
18. Would you recommend working for this company to your family and friends?
19. How do you generally feel about this company?
20. What did you like most about this company?
21. What did you like least about this company?
22. What does your new company offer that this company doesn't?
23. Can this company do anything to encourage you to stay?
24. Any other issue you like to discuss?

Introspection/ Probing the Reasons Interviewers usually want to determine the real
reasons of voluntary separations. This provides an opportunity to make changes - particularly when
the separation may also be impacting other people. For example, management is often cited as a
common reason people leave the organization. It is good for the company to know the reasons so
they can take corrective action.

To me, the interviewer must move beyond the basic information. It is critical to get beyond the
"politically correct" reason that the majority of employees provide when leaving a position. The critical
portion of the interview should probe the employee for feedback about the working conditions and
how they might be improved. Many employees, however, are reluctant to provide this information.
This reluctance often stems from the concern over negatively influencing future job references.

The interviewer should be exploring common threads across all employees leaving the company. Of
special concern are the new hires that leave the company after a relatively short period of time. This
information can signal hiring problems - if employees are mismatched with their skills or if realistic
job previews are not used. If an inaccurate picture is painted of the job, employee expectations will
not be met and turnover often results.

If the company is willing to rehire the employee, this should be explicitly stated at the conclusion of
the interview. Sometimes the grass is not really, greener on the other side of the fence and
employees regret leaving their jobs. The door should always be left open for those employees who
would be welcome to return to the organization. In some cases, the interviewer might even explore
options for part-time or temporary work rather than lose a good employee altogether.

Follow-up interviews are more likely to be conducted by mail or telephone. Some companies are
waiting three to six months before conducting their exit interviews. For this reason, some companies
have opted to use a six-month follow-up exit interview. The rationale is the more time that passes,
the more objective the feedback information that is provided to the company - thereby providing
greater insights - and the less hesitation on the part of the employee to share negative feedback.

Conclusion
With the recognition exit interviews can provide an opportunity for valuable feedback, new
approaches are being used. Trends in exit interviews today include outsourcing and automated
surveys. Some companies have opted to delegate the exit interview to a third party firm that
specializes in conducting these interviews. The rationale is departing employees may be more open
and honest with an objective third party. These interviewers are often trained in asking probing
questions and can elicit more information.

The information solicited from the exit interview is only valuable if it used. It must be disseminated to
the appropriate people within the organization and then actually used to make positive changes.
Otherwise, the company has missed a valuable opportunity.