Exit Interviews for Fired Employees: Are They Worthwhile or Just Awkward?

Hi, I'm wondering if it makes sense to conduct an exit interview when an employee was fired due to misconduct or lack of work. What do you think? :huh:

Exit interviews are usually done with employees who are voluntarily leaving the company. Conducting exit interviews with fired employees may involve variety of risks. Someone who's been fired may discuss management issues in an unbiased way. Also, fired employees may disagree with the reason they were terminated. If an argument breaks out, it could lead to legal turmoil later.

It would be like salting the wounds if we take the exit interview in such scenarios, even though when it's known that nothing much can be done.

I guess it doesn't make sense to conduct the exit interviews for employees who have been asked to leave. Doesn't make sense.

Regds,
Shabanaa I Khan

It's important to know the views of a leaving employee about the company's work culture, their relations with their RM, how things are in the company, and how they believe it should be from their viewpoint. These insights are crucial in creating a positive work environment within your company.

The reason for leaving should not determine whether exit meetings should be conducted with departing employees. It should be a standard practice for all types of departures.

Best Regards, Prashant:icon1:

Thanks, everyone! Prashant, I share your thoughts. We (employee/employer) had a good relationship in the past - just the economy changed. Why shouldn't we talk about his/her experience? We all should learn from each other.

Exit interviews are necessary. When a member leaves the organization, he/she needs to keep HR informed on areas of focus, so that another employee does not face situations where they might decide to leave. Not all people leave because they hate the place they work; probably for professional development, they feel it will be good to make a career change.

As long as you are receiving information on how the company has treated him and what he/she would want the company to focus on, it's only beneficial. And people terminated on grounds of disciplinary action need not go through this exit interview. It's not about the person being frustrated, but it's more about what negativity he/she can leave within the company and the people listening to his messages. Of course, they will try to prove their point, and we might tend to look at the existing place with that same view sometimes.

Hi All,

I think it is important to conduct an exit interview with all employees leaving the organization, regardless of whether they are being fired or resigning themselves. Recently, in my organization, many employees have been fired due to cost-cutting. In the current scenario, we may not be able to conduct any exit interviews. In one division of 40 employees, all of them have been asked to leave, including many star performers.

I believe conducting exit interviews should be made mandatory!

Cheers,
AB

So in my view, it should be done by default.

Exit interviews may be mandatory for all voluntary resignations. They can be optional for forced resignations (termination, layoff, etc.) depending on a case-by-case basis.

Hi,

There's a difference between being laid off and fired. In the case of a layoff, I believe an exit interview should be conducted to keep the doors open for both parties in the future and to provide a less embarrassing experience for the employee. However, when it comes to being fired, the employer will likely have minimal valuable feedback. Therefore, it is best not to proceed with it.

Regards,
Jhuma

Hi there,

It would be better if we could request them to fill in the exit interview questionnaire to gather information that could be used later and to show respect for the job they have done. Let's try to understand their perspective, have a better understanding to deal with different people, and avoid one-on-one meetings or what is commonly known as an exit interview.

I had a similar experience, and it truly helped me.

Regards, Priya

Thank you, Priya, for updating and commenting on the issue. It is really a good idea to have one-on-one casual chats instead of EXIT.INT. Cheers, AB

"Honesty is the best policy - when there is money in it."

Instead of an interview, it makes more sense to take the employee's feedback on what he thinks went wrong.