EXIT INTERVIEWS
WHY YOU SHOULD CONDUCT EXIT INTERVIEWS
Exit interviews can easily slip into simple, routine tick-box exercises. A task to be done but without much thought or consideration as to how you get to the truth about why people are leaving. Or how the data gathered will be analysed and used.
Chiumento believes interviewing departing staff is as important as interviewing those you wish to recruit. In fact, exit interviews could be the key to helping solve many issues.
Well-structured, probing and independent exit interviews will provide real insight into why people are leaving. And acting on that information will help to improve retention and the engagement of those who remain with the organisation. Depending on what is discovered, making changes could also make your company more attractive to potential employees and make recruitment easier.
What is an exit interview?
How we can help with your exit interviews
Or it could be you already have a process in place to conduct exit interviews – but fear it isn’t providing the data and insight you need to inform your talent management strategy. We can help you review the existing process and identify ways to improve.
CONDUCTING AN EXIT INTERVIEW EFFECTIVELY
Conducting an exit interview is better than not doing one at all – at the least, it shows you care about people opting to exit the organisation. However, there are some very quick wins that will ensure they are being run in a more effective way. These are our top three tips to ensure your exit interviews are as effective as possible
TRUST
Great exit interview processes mean the leaver knows they are safe to share the real reasons they are going. And that there’s a firewall between that process and referencing.
INDEPENDENT
Who conducts the exit interview makes a big difference to the outcome. There’s an old saying that “people join organisations and leave managers”. And there’s more than a grain of truth in it. So having a line manager conduct an exit interview for their own leaver is never a good idea. The question always has to be “who is most likely to get to the truth?” That could be HR, a line manager from elsewhere in the business, or even a third party.
STRUCTURE
There needs to be the right balance between structure and enquiry. To be able to report on the findings of your exit interviews, there does need to be structure to your process. However, you also need to give your exit interviewers the freedom to dig deeper on certain areas or questions – sticking to a script may mean missing clues. That’s why questionnaires alone aren’t sufficient.
Get in touch
How we can help
Or it could be you already have a process in place to conduct exit interviews – but fear it isn’t providing the data and insight you need to inform your talent management strategy. We can help you review the existing process and identify ways to improve.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If we outsourced our exit interviews to you how much does it cost?
Prices depend on a number of different factors, get in touch via info@chiumento.co.uk or call and we can chat through the options and supply you with a detailed quote.
How, when and where do you conduct the exit interviews?
Best practise is to conduct an exit interview after your employee has left. We discuss and confirm the exact timings with our clients. But generally, we suggest between 2-6 weeks after leaving. They are generally conducted via the phone or video call rather than in person.
Can you help us improve the process we’re currently running?
We’re always happy to see how we can help companies improve. Get in touch and we can have an informal and confidential discussion on how we could help you.