Are Exit Interviews Really Honest? Share Your Thoughts and Experiences

Dear fellow members,

If an employee quits, we conduct the exit interview. We inform them that they may provide their feedback with an open mind and assure them that there will be no adverse reactions.

However, I have noticed that departing employees may not always share their true thoughts. Do they genuinely express their opinions? To what extent do organizations benefit from this process?

Please share your experiences, views, and ideas.

Regards,
Srinivasan

Dear Srinivasan,

An exit interview is an entirely voluntary conversation.

The HR department conducts exit interviews (also called exit surveys) to gather data for improving working conditions and retaining employees.

The success of an exit interview depends upon the approach taken by the HR who is conducting this interview.

After the feedback form is filled, the HR should have a very friendly approach towards the Ex-Employee and conduct this conversation tactfully. He should understand the nonverbal behavior, handle the communication problem with an employee who talks too little or too much, etc. An exit interview should be taken for a minimum of half an hour.

For example, if you think that the employee is quitting due to a negative relationship with his or her supervisor, ask questions related to that problem. You can ask the employee to rate his or her experience, inquire about his or her relationship with coworkers, and request information about his or her department that you might not otherwise have known. While you shouldn't turn it into a fishing expedition or a manhunt for negative information, you should facilitate honest and open communication. Have a list of questions that you want to ask ready before the interview.

Maybe very few of the employees may not give proper feedback. But exit interviews are very important.

Based on the interview data, statistics can be compiled quarterly to find out the attrition causes. Further steps can be taken to retain and handle the current employees. In fact, exit interviews are a must in IT and BPO industries where the attrition rate is very high.

Best Regards,
Tina

Hi Tina,

You have clearly stated the purpose of the exit interview. I agree that conducting or handling the EI in the right manner is solely in the hands of the HR person. As you say, if this interview is not conducted with the intention of trapping the leaving employee, then it will be a useful input for reducing attrition.

Thanks a lot!!!

Srinivasan

Hi,

For the exit interview to be frank and reliable, it has to happen only after all dues and certificates are handed over. The reason is that the employee is afraid that being candid might jeopardize the timely clearance of dues and impact the appraisal negatively.

Dear Srinivasan,

In our organization, we are using an exit interview format - factors of the same can be analyzed and interpreted very easily. As Tina rightly suggested, we used to spend a reasonable time with the candidate for extracting the exact reason for leaving the job. We find it very useful for finding out the reasons for attrition.

Regards,
Nasir

Srinivasn,

Exit interviews are an art in themselves. An organization could use a standard format for the same, but it depends on the HR person who is conducting it. One could start with a very informal talk and gradually direct the questions towards asking the reasons. Also, bearing in mind the feedback you have regarding this person, including his relationships with peers and managers, attitude towards work, etc. The appreciations or criticisms of work ethics that were discussed can also be considered.

This could be followed by filling out the standard form. The HR person could then write his/her comments on the form about what he/she captured during the informal conversation.

Cordially,
preet

Hi,

Usually, employees provide less contentious reasons, such as family problems. Since the Middle East is experiencing a high rate of turnover due to skill shortages and economic booms, it is very challenging to obtain reliable reasons.

Thanks,
Muhammed Shereef
Dubai, UAE

Exit interviews are powerful tools to obtain information about the company from a person who has worked for and been exposed to the company's processes, culture, etc. When conducting exit interviews, HR needs to portray to the employee that they can be trusted with the information that will be divulged to them. All information received needs to be interpreted objectively.

Do ask the employee about the good things that the company has done as well as areas in which the company can improve itself. This way, it will give the employee something to remember about the company.

Best Regards,

Babji Babjan

Mr. Srinivasan, to get the right feedback, we need to design the questionnaire very carefully with the help of psychology. It's wise to ask indirect questions to get direct answers. Organizations can rethink the policies and practices they have for employees of the same category who are quitting or resigning.

Employee Comfort and Resignation

It all depends on how comfortable your employees are. There are many reasons behind an employee's resignation. You have to focus only on those that are related to your organization. Link them to the Employee Satisfaction (ES) Survey results for analyzing the correctness of the answers given. Employees will be more open while working because they are confident that any change in the working environment will have a definite effect on them. Particularly, openness will be very high in surveys that do not ask for names.

Conduct the surveys properly and link them. That's it.