Exit interviews

Exit interviews

Exit interview is a typical form of interview where there is interaction between the HR person and the employee who is leaving the company. Exit survey is another term for exit interview as it involves gathering data from the exiting employee. The data thus gathered is analysed and used for deploying corrective measures in the functioning of the organisation. Sometimes, employers may use exit interview as a channel to pacify disgruntled employees.

When high performing employees decide to leave the organisation, the management faces valuable loss. Some organisations conduct exit interviews with the exiting employee. The basic purpose of exit interviews is to know what prompted the employee to take such a decision. Human resource staff may try persuasion to encourage employees to reconsider their decision to quit and stay back.Exit interviews are a tool to understand the reasons for employee attrition. This helps the management to address the issue of attrition in the right perspective. The feedback equips the management to focus on the areas of improvement.

For all this to happen, exit interviews should not be conducted in a casual manner but must be done seriously.

The departing employees must be made to feel respected and at ease.

This encourages them to confidently reveal their views about the organisation and the other factors that prompted them to resign.

Face-to-face interviews are better format for exit interviews compared to questionnaires. However, during the course of the interview, the employee may be handed over a questionnaire. This invokes an honest response from the departing employee.

Management should ensure that the interview must not be conducted by the reporting manager. A senior executive from the human resources , department is a better choice. This creates a friendly ambience and employees feel confident to express their inner feelings that help organisations identify problem areas and enhance internal culture.

The HR person, in this context the interviewer, should not behave as a representative of the organisation. He/she should exhibit an unbiased attitude. There should not be any tricky or confusing questions in the list. Active listening ' without confronting or interrupting the exitingemployee will help in fulfilling the purpose of the interview.

Departing employees can expect questions related to job satisfaction, achievement of career goals, facing to be made in organisation';harassment or policies and culture,discrimination and changes        Exiting employees have apprehensions about attending exit interviews. Though they can decline to attend the same, experts suggest against doing so. With the repercussions of speaking openly drawing them back, employees have half a mind on this. HR person should ensure that the feedback is vital for them and in no way will it be used to victimise the employee. HR staff conducting the exit interview should assure the departing employee that there are no ill-feelings or wrong intentions associated with the interview.

The feedback gathered by the employers through exit interviews must be analysed and discussed. Senior management should pay heed to the issues raised by the exiting employees and take their suggestions and remarks seriously.

The worthiness of the feedback should be accepted without any egoistic feelings and necessary changes should be made in the management styles and organisational culture and functioning. Otherwise, the very purpose of exit interviews will be defeated.