Not so long ago it wasn’t uncommon to witness an employee heading to the door, their personalised coffee mug, favourite pens and assortment of stress balls thrown hurriedly into a cardboard box tucked defiantly under an arm.
Thankfully, this type of undignified exit is far less common now - or at least it should be!
How an employee’s departure is handled provides a strong measure of an organisation’s health. Employees leave for various reasons. Our survey last month showed 45 percent of respondents get their CV out only if they feel unchallenged, not because they have a serious gripe with their organisation.
Whatever the reason for leaving, whether through resignation or because an employee has been let go, organisations need to have a sound exit strategy in place that covers planning and executing the departure as well as conducting and evaluating the exit interview.
So, assuming we are not dealing with the more extreme cases of dismissal, how do we manage the smoothest possible departure of an employee?
1. Managers must be able to recognise and address issues as soon as they arise. Regular open dialogue with employees should be highlighting any possible warning signs.
2. Planning is key to a smooth transition for an employee. A clear process aligned to company policies and clear communications to other team members helps lessen upheaval.
3. Finally, we must also make sure we consider our organisation’s intellectual capital. The longer the time with the organisation, the more critical this becomes. Ensure you build a process to retain critical information within the organisation.
So, if you have done all of this, why bother with an exit interview?
Last month's survey showed 79 percent of respondents agree employee exit interviews are a beneficial process for an organisation to recognise issues and improve company performance, when used correctly. Also, respondents saw this process as an opportunity to capture information rather than just another HR procedure, with the potential to address other areas of the business.
Three key reasons to conduct exit interviews:
- Exit interviews provide statistics to benchmark a company’s staff retention and satisfaction performance.
- Results can be used to compare scores against employee satisfaction survey results.
- Results can track trends in areas including employee satisfaction and process change initiatives and assist in measuring outcomes.
An exit interview may be conducted face to face, by telephone, questionnaire, or via the internet. However, the best way by far is a face to face interview or meeting. If you are uncomfortable conducting the interview yourself or do not have Human Resources department to conduct the process, use a third party. Third party providers offer expert advice and a ‘safe’ objective environment where an employee is more likely to contribute valuable feedback.
You must value exit interviews as an opportunity to gain valuable insight and feedback on internal processes and operational structure. Also, this is where you can see how well your job description and expectations matched the individual’s.
It should also assist in targeting the right people for your organisation in future, leading to improved company performance and reduced employee turnover.
Final hints and tips
1. Plan the exit interview process as early as possible. Don’t wait until it's too late and the employee is unable or unwilling to make the commitment.
2. Set the objectives for your employee exit interviews – make sure you are consistent in how you measure and collate the result for long term analysis.
3. Don’t take it personally. Managers must try to remain objective and determine the underlying causes of issues for employees. Information gathered in exit interviews is a huge opportunity as it is one of the few times you are likely to gain such candid and valuable insight into company issues.