Exit Interviews

One size does not fit all when it comes to retention solutions. Strategies should be tailor-made to meet the unique needs of the organization and to address what is truly important to employees. Obtaining and analyzing staff feedback is a critical component in creating this retention strategy. There are many opportunities to collect valuable feedback from your staff. One form of feedback that is often misunderstood or underestimated is the Exit Interview.

Exit interviews are an effective method to use in understanding the complex factors involved in voluntary staff turnover. This feedback can guide and improve your retention strategy. Such information provides insight into the cause of turnover and should always form part of a company's overall Human Resources strategy (and part of the company's culture). A well-managed Exit Interview with an employee who has resigned is a valuable investment. It can reveal problems that may have otherwise gone unnoticed and can provide helpful information for improvement in areas such as recruitment, management, supervision, job design, salary and benefits, or career planning and development. The Exit Interview can also help to ensure that the company is parting with the employee on good terms, also conveying to remaining employees, that concern is being shown for staff.

According to recent studies, Exit Interviews are used by 91% of Fortune 500 companies and by 87% of mid-size companies. These same studies show that less than half of these companies (45% and 46% respectively) are satisfied with the effectiveness of the process. Other studies have found a variety of possible reasons for these low satisfaction ratings. These include: unclear goals, poorly developed methodologies, interviewers lacking objectivity or skills and feedback that is difficult to translate into action. In spite of this, companies continue to use Exit Interviews because they have great potential for providing critical information that can be obtained in no other way. The issues that interfere with effective Exit Interviews can be dealt with by securing expert assistance in structuring and conducting them.

Partnering on the Exit Interview process with an objective third party provides the following benefits:

	Expertise in collecting quantitative and qualitative information regarding the reasons for departure and factors that impact performance.
	Reduction in the internal processing time of line managers and HR managers, therefore,
	More time for value-added activities.
	Improved quality of informal or 'hard data' on the reasons for leaving, and, over time, longitudinal data on major themes for the organization.
	Provides an extremely positive impression to the departing employees and ensures an objective approach to the qualitative interview.
	Maximizes objectively of the feedback and recommendations.

OUR SERVICE

We offer a range of services which assist organizations in managing the Exit Interview process. These include design of surveys to be completed by departing staff, processing these surveys, and completion of a verbal structured Exit Interview to expand on information collected from the written survey. We can manage the whole Exit Interview process generating a report on individual reasons for departure and group trends.

Drawing upon our database of questions, we will develop an Exit Survey which addresses issues specific to your organization.

In providing the service we will:

Conduct on-site interviews with representatives as identified by management to determine key areas for evaluation. - Our Exit Interview strategy is customized to reflect your organization’s goals for retention within the unique culture of your organization. - We can assist you with developing the appropriate polices and procedures to assure seamless flow and appropriate messaging and positioning surrounding the Exit Interview process.

Develop tools to incorporate custom-defined criteria. - One size does not fit all. We will develop methodology to examine special issues for high vs. low performers, using a variety of key demographic data. This requires a modified approach depending on the specific factors identified. - The interviews will contain quantitative items customized to your needs and drawn from our database of questions. - A structured interview will be used to draw out rich qualitative data.

Facilitate, administer, and collect survey data. - The interviews will be conducted in web-based, mail-in, and telephone format to assure a higher response rate. - Interviewers trained in human resources and research interviewing with emphasis on Exit Interviewing will conduct data collection activities.

Conduct individual interviews with identified respondents. - A “high touch” approach complements our high-tech approach.

Evaluate data, both quantitative and qualitative. - Provide an evaluation of the data in a simple yet meaningful and actionable format. - We will provide both a concise report of the numbers, as well as a report of the trends and themes that numbers cannot capture.

Prepare comprehensive management reports summarizing results on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis. - Reports will provide internal company data and appropriate national/regional workforce statistics, as well as results from national studies for comparison and benchmarking purposes.

Present the report to management with recommendations and suggested action plan for implementation. - Based on best practice research with a variety of organizations and the unique needs of your organization, we will offer our recommendations for your action based on the data obtained.

Find out how we can help you by arranging for a free first consultation through our Contact page.