Exit interviews are a vital part of the HR process when someone leaves a business. Yet more often than not, they are forgotten or overlooked. They may seem like a time consuming administrative task, but the information you receive could be incredibly beneficial to your company. This constructive feedback could help you make some positive changes to your business that may prevent others from leaving. It could also help you improve existing processes or celebrate successes that could raise your Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
Exit interviews will allow you to drill down on the reasons why someone is leaving and could help you improve on what you have in place for your people. Is there something you could have done better to have kept them from leaving? Are there certain benefits that they are going to receive in their new position that you possibly could have provided?
We often conduct exit interviews on behalf of employers and have found the following points to be a common theme amongst leavers:
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Induction and training.
The employee may not feel as though adequate training was provided when first starting with your company. Is your induction process detailed enough to set every new employee up for success? Did they have all the technology and tools of trade they required on their first day? Is everything they were told in the recruitment process what the role actually entailed?
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Internal systems and processes.
Exit interviews can often bring to light various internal systems and processes that need improvement in your business. Poorly functioning systems and processes might be holding your business back from growth and delivering a more effective service to your customers. How can you make it easier for your employees to do their job and deliver great results?
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Flexible working and work hours.
This is a reason that is becoming more and more prevalent, particularly with the Millennial workforce and working parents (read our blog article on retaining Millennials here). Do you give your employees the option to work from home? Can they choose their hours (as long as they get the job done)?
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Regular engagement and development.
The days of annual reviews are fading and regular employee engagement is now expected from employers. Do you give your employees regular feedback, coaching, training and development? Why not conduct an employee engagement survey?
We understand that some situations require tact and empathy (such as a restructure) and in some cases, people may not want to provide any feedback or give negative feedback. Ultimately, you want to capture all useful information from people leaving your business. This can also be a great opportunity to find out how people feel about your business and brand.
Using a third party to help with your exit interviews can be very useful. We have found that people will often disclose more to someone that they have no emotional ties with. If you need help with these conversations and want honest feedback, we can manage exit interviews for you. Please do get in touch.