When an employee leaves an organisation, the knowledge and skills of that individual leave with them. Attracting new talent and bringing them up to the standard expected takes time and can come with a large cost to the organisation, these costs include recruitment, training, and not forgetting productivity – time to learn the job.
As well as the knowledge lost, information regarding the engagement of that individual leaves with them, and this is often not captured. This is where an Exit process incorporating an Exit Interview can be beneficial to the organisation, providing insight to improve retention rates and to help the organisation to make improvements for the future.
Exit Interview
Exit Interviews are carried out before the termination of an individual’s employment. Often carried out by HR or a representative of the organisation. The interview process focuses around key areas of employment practice (noted below). And questioning around these areas probes and explores the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation, and what the employee liked and didn’t like.
Typical exit interview topic areas include:
- Job duties and responsibilities
- Working conditions and environment
- Relationships with line manager and colleagues
- Pay, reward and benefits
- Communication and strategy
- Training and development
- Work-life balance
- Organisational brand.
Feedback
When briefing employees about the Exit Interview, it is worth being aware that there may be sensitive information and feedback that they may or may not want to share. It is important that the company treats confidential feedback appropriately, with sensitivity, and ensuring they are treated fairly. Without assurance of this, the employee is less likely to provide constructive feedback to the organisation.
Value of the feedback
Analysing the feedback allows the organisation to understand why people are leaving, comparing reasons across the organisation to understand insights and key trends. The insights gained enables the organisation to review and improve their processes, for example: Pay bench-marking, Training, Development and communication. Businesses should be aware of any potential complaints or grievances raised through the exit interview process and should handle these accordingly. The process can also result in the employee feeling valued, listening to and on occasion, could even result in discussions that could retain the employee.
Exit Interviews are hugely valuable in organisations gaining insight into the reasons people leave employment. In response, the organisation can implement the appropriate process improvements to ensure that their people stay to continue their career. By implementing an exit process, businesses can expect lower staff turnover, higher retention, better engagement and high performing teams. In todays challenging recruitment market, retention and attraction are key to a business’s success, and the exit interview is a vital tool hugely under utilised by most businesses.
Nockolds HR can provide Exit Interviews bespoke to your organisation. If you would like to implement an Exit Process in your business, or would like to discuss how to get the most out of your current exit process, please contact the Nockolds HR team on 0333 4007920 or email enquiries@nockoldshr.co.uk