Friends, Exit interviews undoubtedly serve a significant purpose in probing the problems of excess attrition rate. It is also a means of organizational mirroring, when an opportunity is created for gaining open feedback on the organization and its work culture. While touching upon certain critical issues in this context, I'm also including some sample questions for an exit interview.
Exit interviews are interviews conducted with departing employees, just before they leave. From the employer's perspective, the primary aim of the exit interview is to learn reasons for the person's departure, on the basis that criticism is a helpful driver for organizational improvement. Exit interviews (and prior) are also an opportunity for the organization to enable the transfer of knowledge and experience from the departing employee to a successor or replacement, or even to brief a team on current projects, issues, and contacts. Good exit interviews should also yield useful information about the employer organization, to assess and improve all aspects of the working environment, culture, processes and systems, management and development, etc.; in fact, anything that determines the quality of the organization, both in terms of its relationship with its staff, customers, suppliers, third parties, and the general public. Many employers ignore the opportunity that exit interviews offer, chiefly because exit interviews have not been practiced in the past, and starting them is a difficult initiative to undertake, given the potentially subjective and 'fuzzy' nature of the results; the time involved; and the unspoken corporate urge to avoid exposure to criticism. Exit interviews are nevertheless a unique chance to survey and analyze the opinions of departing employees, who generally are more forthcoming, constructive, and objective than staff still in their jobs. In leaving an organization, departing employees are liberated, and as such provide a richer source of objective feedback than employed staff do when responding to normal staff attitude surveys.
As ever, corporate insecurity and defensiveness can be an obstacle to implementing exit interview processes, so if the organization finds it difficult to begin the practice as a matter of general policy, you can still undertake your own exit interviews locally with your staff as and when they leave.
From the departing employee interviewee perspective, an exit interview is a chance to give some constructive feedback and to leave on a positive note, with good relations and mutual respect. Recrimination, blame, revenge, and spite are destructive feelings and behaviors, so resist any temptation you might have to go out all guns blazing. Be calm, fair, objective, and as helpful as possible. In the future, you may wish to return to the organization (situations and people change..), and you may cross the paths of your ex-colleagues, managers in the future. The adage about treating people well on your way up because you might meet them on the way down applies just as well on your way out. The exit interview is an opportunity to shake hands and leave friends, not enemies.
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26Exit interviews are interviews conducted with departing employees, just before they leave. From the employer's perspective, the primary aim of the exit interview is to learn reasons for the person's departure, on the basis that criticism is a helpful driver for organizational improvement. Exit interviews (and prior) are also an opportunity for the organization to enable the transfer of knowledge and experience from the departing employee to a successor or replacement, or even to brief a team on current projects, issues, and contacts. Good exit interviews should also yield useful information about the employer organization, to assess and improve all aspects of the working environment, culture, processes and systems, management and development, etc.; in fact, anything that determines the quality of the organization, both in terms of its relationship with its staff, customers, suppliers, third parties, and the general public. Many employers ignore the opportunity that exit interviews offer, chiefly because exit interviews have not been practiced in the past, and starting them is a difficult initiative to undertake, given the potentially subjective and 'fuzzy' nature of the results; the time involved; and the unspoken corporate urge to avoid exposure to criticism. Exit interviews are nevertheless a unique chance to survey and analyze the opinions of departing employees, who generally are more forthcoming, constructive, and objective than staff still in their jobs. In leaving an organization, departing employees are liberated, and as such provide a richer source of objective feedback than employed staff do when responding to normal staff attitude surveys.
As ever, corporate insecurity and defensiveness can be an obstacle to implementing exit interview processes, so if the organization finds it difficult to begin the practice as a matter of general policy, you can still undertake your own exit interviews locally with your staff as and when they leave.
From the departing employee interviewee perspective, an exit interview is a chance to give some constructive feedback and to leave on a positive note, with good relations and mutual respect. Recrimination, blame, revenge, and spite are destructive feelings and behaviors, so resist any temptation you might have to go out all guns blazing. Be calm, fair, objective, and as helpful as possible. In the future, you may wish to return to the organization (situations and people change..), and you may cross the paths of your ex-colleagues, managers in the future. The adage about treating people well on your way up because you might meet them on the way down applies just as well on your way out. The exit interview is an opportunity to shake hands and leave friends, not enemies.
From India
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