The Value Of Exit Interview

An Exit interview is an interview conducted by an employer of a departing employee. They are generally conducted by a relatively neutral party, such as a human resources staff member, so that the employee will be more inclined to be candid, as opposed to worrying about burning bridges. Exit interviews are conducted by paper and pencil forms, telephone interviews, and in-person meetings or online through exit interview management systems. Some companies opt to employ a third party to conduct the interviews and provide feedback.

Sometimes the circumstances as to why an employee leaves can’t be influenced by the organization. The exit interview may be conducted through a variety of methods. Some of the methods include: in-person, over the telephone, on paper, and through the Internet. Exit interviews are a start in the right direction to work towards achieving this. Generally exit interviews are not contemplated until an employee resigns, however used wisely and correctly can be a very helpful and practical tool for your firm moving forward.

There are occasions where an employee leaving can be beneficial to an organization. For example, it could provide the opportunity for new skills to be brought into the business to meet a new business need; or allowing a high performing employee to replace a poor performing employee. It gives a business the opportunity to make positive changes, for example, restructuring or re-designing jobs to meet business objectives. In these circumstances the costs of replacing the employee do not come into play but it is still useful to gain feedback from the departing employee about their experience working for the organization. 

In conclusion the process of an exit interview is possibly your last opportunity to gain valuable information from the exiting employee about your work culture, office environment and the effectiveness of your internal procedures. Advise the employee of why the organization wants them to participate and what the information will be used for.  Advise the employee that what they say will not prejudice their remaining time in the business or any reference the business may provide. By doing this the employee will feel more comfortable about being up front with their feelings, opinions and ideas without the worry of negative repercussions.