9th December 2021 3 MIN READ •Talos Engage •Employee Engagement
High staff turnover is not just a fact of business. While it’s never easy to see a valued employee leave the fold, resignations serve as an ideal opportunity to strengthen your staff retention strategies. Here we discuss how exit interviews can help you to decrease employee turnover rates, and support the long-term integrity of your workforce.
What is an ‘exit interview’?
Exit interviews are commonly conducted by employers to identify the reasons behind an employee’s resignation. These are usually carried out just before the departing employee’s final working day, providing that they have worked their statutory notice period.
Common features of exit interviews include polls and surveys relating to an individual’s experience in working for an organisation. These can be used to identify common reasons for employees leaving your business – helping to prevent similar departures in the future.
Who should conduct exit interviews with employees?
Exit interviews are usually conducted by either an employee’s manager, or their employer’s HR representative. In most cases, HR teams will have processes in place to manage resignations amicably, and protect employees’ privacy surrounding their departure.
What questions should I ask in exit interviews?
The aim of exit interviews should be to gain insight into your company’s employee experience. You should stage these sessions to identify any weaknesses in your workforce strategy – helping to prevent similar resignations in future.
Here are some key questions to ask when conducting exit interviews:
1- What made you decide to move on from our company?
First thing’s first – let’s identify the reason behind your employee’s departure. Do they crave a career change? Has another employer offered them a more competitive salary/benefits package?
This will help to diagnose any factors contributing to their resignation – whether these relate to an employees’ personal life, or your company’s workforce strategy.
2- Is there anything we could have done to prevent this decision?
Don’t be afraid to get to the crux of the issue – could your company have done anything differently to prevent the employee’s departure?
This may highlight drawbacks in your company’s employee value proposition (EVP), learning and development programme, or leadership strategy.
3- What did you enjoy most about working for our business?
Exit interviews don’t have to be all negative! Use these as an opportunity to gain positive feedback as well as constructive criticism.
This will help to highlight the core values and benefits employees find in working for your business – the building blocks of your EVP. This is critical for maintaining a HR strategy that resonates with your workforce.
4- What would you improve about our company given the chance?
Let’s face it – nobody likes criticism, but it’s a critical part of building a better workplace. Look at things from the perspective of the departing employee; how do they suggest that you improve your workplace going forward?
This kind of constructive criticism is essential for understanding employees’ expectations, and adapting your HR strategy to meet their needs.
The benefits of conducting exit interviews
There are a number of key benefits to conducting exit interviews with departing employees:
- Gaining insight into your company’s employee experience
- Feedback on your employee value proposition (EVP)
- Analysing how you compare with competing employers in your sector
- Supporting your brand’s reputation in the job market, and maintaining relationships with departing employees
- Diagnosing internal management/leadership issues
No matter the reason behind an employee’s resignation, it’s always important to manage their departure amicably. Exit interviews give them the opportunity to feedback on their work-life experience, and address any issues and concerns they may have.
Introducing…
Talos Engage: Increase staff retention & satisfaction
Want to reduce employee turnover, and retain a strong and stable workforce?
Talos Engage is our gamified solution to workplace feedback – giving employers and their colleagues an easier way to build a better workplace.
Gamified EVP analysis & employee feedback reports
Employees simply play the Engage swipe-card game to give critical feedback on:
- Your company benefits package
- Their day-to-day work-life experience
- Your HR and leadership strategy
- Your company’s EVP
This data is automatically formulated into a straightforward report, giving you valuable insight as to the strengths and weaknesses of your workplace strategy.
With Talos Engage, it has never been easier to gain real-time feedback from your employees, and use their data to improve your HR strategy.
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