Don't Wait for the Exit Interview
By: Tim Augustine
Be as proactive as possible and try to gain as much feedback from staff during their tenure as opposed to relying on exit interviews to implement change.
Turnover is a part of business. However, most firms try to ask critical questions of departing employees during the exit interview, which is simply too late.
I suggest developing a feedback process that solicits the same type of information as an exit interview when the employee is just that, an employee. Different than an employee satisfaction survey, the feedback interview is a semi-annual face-to-face meeting with you, the human resource professional or a manager and the employee, and should focus on the employee's perception about the company, his or her manager and the position.
It is not a performance review. It is an opportunity for you to gain valuable information, and improve credibility, trust, communication and morale at the firm.
However, before developing a feedback interview process, it's important to realize why people leave organizations -- and why they stay. This will help shape the questions you use to address employees during the feedback interview.
Why They Go
If someone leaves in the first year, it is typically a recruitment mistake, such as a poor corporate fit or lack of appropriate skills and knowledge, which should be identified during the screening or interviewing steps.
If someone leaves within two to three years, it is an on-boarding mistake or orientation error. The employee never felt like part of the team, lacked buy-in or company understanding.
If someone leaves your organization after three years, it is often a career development mistake, and the employee felt a lack of opportunity, career advancement or better career opportunities elsewhere.
One common misnomer is that people leave for compensation reasons. People rarely leave organizations for compensation. There are always underlining issues with something else in the firm.
Through my research, I found that 71 percent of the applicants interviewed stated that they left the organization because of the culture. In fact, many applicants pointed directly to their managers as the primary reason for leaving. "I did not leave the company, I left my manager." Your goal is to identify these issues prior to the employee resigning.
Why They Stay
The flip side of this discovery process is why people stay at your firm. I've discovered that people stay at firms for three primary reasons:
Personal Satisfaction -- Employees personally like the environment, culture and team members they work with.
Professional Development -- Employees feel they are growing professionally through on-the-job experience and professional education and certifications.
Financial Reward -- Employees feel that they are compensated fairly for the position and market.
Armed with the answers to why they go, and why they stay, you, your managers and human resources professional can get to work shaping a feedback interview process with questions that can help improve your organization. Below, I've prepared a list of 20 typical feedback interview questions to get you started.
- If you could change one thing about XYZ Company, what would it be?
- How did you feel about your relationship with your supporting leader?
- What additional changes should XYZ Company make to improve the firm?
- How do you feel the company is doing?
- How do you feel your team is doing?
- How do you feel your manager (or I am) doing?
- What could your immediate supervisor do to improve his or her management style?
- Do you receive adequate support to do your job?
- Do you receive sufficient feedback about your performance between merit reviews?
- What would you like your manager (or me) to start doing, stop doing and continue doing?
- How do you feel you are performing?
- What is most satisfying about your job?
- What is least satisfying about your job?
- What would you change about your job?
- Do you receive enough training to do your job effectively?
- Are you satisfied with this company's merit review process?
- How do you feel about our benefits?
- Does this company help you to fulfill your career goals?
- What do you like least about this company?
- What do you like most about this company?
With these, or similar, questions in hand, and a few ground rules, you're ready to meet face-to-face with employees. The few ground rules you should follow to make the process effective include:
- Actively listen to the employee and take notes where appropriate. Do not act defensively and respond with answers.
- Provide the employee with a road map of how the information will be used and how you will follow up with changes if you determine they are required.
- Do not burn bridges. In order for you to build trust and establish a collaborative environment, you need to make sure you use this information as a constructive tool to improve the management team, the working environment and overall firm.
Employees will be skeptical of this process at first, and will try to use this time to discuss performance details. Do your best to focus on company feedback and through time, your staff will come to appreciate an opportunity to provide feedback that is useful, constructive and has the ability to make a significant difference.
