Exit Interviews – What to Do When Employees Say “Good Bye”

Management psychologist Dr. David Weiman explains how and why to conduct exit interviews.

PHILADELPHIA, PA (PRWEB) April 21, 2006 -- Times have changed. Just a few decades ago, people started at the bottom of a company and spent most of their life there working their way to the top.

But according to Dr. David Weiman, a management psychologist, “climbing the corporate ladder” has been replaced with stepping from ladder to ladder as people advance their careers. “People change jobs more often now than they did before – even changing careers as a way of advancing,” Weiman says. “And that means turnover is increasing to levels we haven’t seen before.”

In fact, according to a recent study by Monster Intelligence cited in the April 2006 issue of Inc. Magazine, 40 percent of the companies surveyed said that turnover had increased over the past 18 months.

According to Weiman, departing employees are a gold mine of information. “They can tell you things that you aren’t going to learn from current staff who may be concerned about the consequences of revealing negative issues,” Weiman says.

For example, employees leaving your company can clue you in to problem supervisors, or they can reveal a gap between what is promised in your recruitment material or interviews and what is delivered once someone is working for your firm.

With so much to gain from exit interviews, here are some suggestions on making sure you get the most from them:

(1) Make the exit interview a priority. Communicate its importance both to your HR staff and to the departing employee.

(2) Develop a standard interview. This ensures that the interviews will be conducted the same way each time. The best format might include a combination of an in-person interview and a questionnaire to be filled out by the employee. (See below for suggested questions).

(3) Do the interview before the employee’s last day. Memories fade and motivation to deal with the past evaporates once someone has moved on. Schedule exit interviews before the person’s last day. My preference is to do them shortly after they announce that they’re leaving.

What should you ask? Here are some questions to strongly consider:

- When did you start looking for another job, and why?

- As you look back over your experiences here, did they match your expectations when you first joined the company? Why or why not?

- If there was one change that could have been made to significantly improve your experience here, what would that have been?

- What would you say was your most significant contribution to the company?

- What was your most significant disappointment?

Conducting an exit interview also shows departing employees that their opinion is valuable to you. That leaves them with a good feeling about your firm. And that can pay off in the future. How? “More and more often, I’ve seen departing employees go to work for a company that is connected somehow to the one they left,” Weiman says. “Parting on good terms will make it less likely that they will bad-mouth you to other companies.”

Weiman says he has also seen an increasing number of employees who return to a company they resigned from after finding out that the grass isn’t greener on the other side. With that in mind, encourage departing employees to keep you apprised of their future career changes.

Paul Salotto, Chief Operating Officer of Result Media, a specialty publisher in West Chester, PA, has used exit interviews to reinforce this idea. “There’s no reason to burn bridges,” says Salotto.

“Sometimes, talented staff leave to pursue what seems like a better opportunity that doesn’t pan out. I want them to know the door is always open.”

What has his success been with rehires? Extremely positive. “They’re often more committed after they return,” Salotto says. “It strengthens the company.”

About Dr. Weiman: Dr. David Weiman is a consulting psychologist and president of Weiman Consulting in suburban Philadelphia. He helps firms of all types and sizes hire, develop and promote quality employees. For more information, visit Weiman Consulting on the web at http://www.weimanconsulting.com. His free monthly newsletter, The Weiman Consulting Letter, covers leadership issues and provides practical tips and advice for leading and managing more effectively. He is also the author of “The Stress Solution: The Complete Guide to Winning in Business without Sacrificing in Life.”

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