Does your business conduct exit interviews? What questions do you ask a departing employee? What questions should you ask? Our resident HR expert, Lisa has some tips for you to consider.
- Don’t underestimate the value of an exit interview. It’s an opportunity to seek transparent and candid feedback that you can take on board to improve your business.
- For employees who have not left voluntarily, their feedback may be clouded by negativity and emotions. You may consider in this instance not to offer an exit interview depending on the circumstances. Most often, constructive feedback and conversations occur when staff leave on their own accord.
- When conducting an exit interview remain professional, be prepared for negative comments and avoid taking anything personally.
- Plan your questions ahead of time and think about a broad range of topics related to the business, their role and their relationships. For example, you might ask what processes could be improved, how they would sum up their working relationships with colleagues/their manager, what would they say was the best part of their job, did they feel like they had adequate support, resources and tools, and their thoughts about the workplace culture and how it could be improved.
- Try to stay on track during the interview and let them do most of the talking. End the interview on a positive note and thank them for their contribution to the business.
- After the interview, go over your notes and think about what was said. Ask yourself if there is an opportunity to improve. Exit interviews should be a learning process and offer insights into how you might be able to improve your staff experience and retention rate.
Do you need some help with exit interviews, including questions to ask? Get in touch with Lisa for your one-hour, no-obligation HR consultation.