Employee exit interviews are like having ‘The Talk’ with your kids. Everyone knows it’s coming but no one really wants to be involved. If you’ve ever been on either side of an exit interview, you know that they can be awkward at best and damaging at worst. The feedback offered by the exiting employee is rarely meaningful, and whatever value may be provided often gets sent away to a dusty HR file.
Employee turnover is a natural and common part of business. People move on for many reasons, but the insights and institutional knowledge they have gained does not have to leave with them. A well-executed exit interview can provide an opportunity for an employee to make one last meaningful contribution to the business before they sail off into the sunset.
Here are my tips for making the exit interview more than just a formality:
Make it Safe
The primary concern of most exiting employees is about preserving their reputation (and maybe deleting their browser history). They see little value in being perceived as a bellyache in their last days with the company — especially if they work in a smaller industry and rely on their good name for future opportunities.
Do: Consider having an objective party conduct the interview. Imagine you’re leaving a company because of your manager (we’ve all been there). How open would you be to giving feedback on the real reason you’re leaving when that same manager is conducting your exit interview? How much value will the company receive from that interview? Even if the employee was brave enough to share their opinions, I would bet the report that the manager in question submits looks very different. Similarly, make sure that the interview isn’t conducted by someone much more senior (like a partner or the founder) unless they already have a strong rapport with the employee. No matter how nice the individual is, the employee will be far too uncomfortable and fearful of burning bridges.
Do: Ensure confidentiality and reputation protection. Reassure the departing employee that whatever they say will not reflect on them negatively and that the information they provide will only be shared with relevant parties within the company.
Do: Treat them like they are still a part of the company. Because they still are! This person is trying to give you one last gift before they go, so make sure they feel appreciated and a part of the work community. Once alienated, their investment is gone.
Don’t: Force the interview by withholding some benefit (pay, bonus, reference, etc). It’s unethical and not so classy. Just don’t.
Don’t: Conduct an exit interview through an online survey. This should always be a conversation. If you want the employee to share something meaningful, it should be a conversation with another human. Think of all those wacky comments under a news story on Facebook. That’s what you’re asking for with an online exit interview.
Make it Worth Their Time
Most employees believe that the exit interview is just a formality and nothing they say will drive any sort of change. But when an employee understands that input will be treated as valuable information, they’re more likely to put their backs into it.
Do: Consider ‘set and setting’. Where the interview is conducted and framing the intention of the conversation will go a long way towards the feedback you’ll receive. It also helps to create a positive reflection on the culture you are working so hard to maintain. If the situation permits, ask the employee where they would prefer to meet. Although a coffee shop might feel warm and relaxed, the employee might be uncomfortable sharing some information in public.
Do: Talk to the employee about what will happen with the information. If departing employees understand that their feedback will be discussed and actioned upon, they will be more likely to offer constructive criticism that can help the business improve. Just be sure you don’t promise something you won’t deliver upon.
Do: Conduct the interview before their last day in order to provide time for follow-up questions. Waiting until the last minute is a sure-fire way to miss out on some valuable critique. What if you need clarification on a point? What if the employee thinks of something else they forgot to mention in the interview? It also shows that you’re accountable for the conversation and that the feedback isn’t something the employee should feel uncomfortable giving.
Do: Ask ‘Why?’. And ask for specific examples. This proves that you are serious about understanding their challenges and are interested in using this information to fix the problems.
Do: Give them feedback. I would keep this to positive feedback. Everybody wants to hear what they are good at, so gather a bit of positive feedback ahead of time and share it.
Don’t: Make the interview an afterthought. It’s obvious to the employee and their feedback will reflect it. The same goes for rescheduling the interview. Lock in a date and stick to it. Changing the meeting will make them feel that it isn’t important.
Don’t: Lie to them. You’ll be compromising your own integrity along with the company’s. Chances are the employee will eventually find out the truth, and the sour taste will remain for years to come.
Make it Mean Something
You’ve taken all the right steps to ensure that the employee will be ready and willing to share valuable information at their exit interview. How do you make sure to not only collect these gems of information but put them to good use?
Do: Prepare for the meeting. Generate a standard set of questions to lead with. This will allow for better benchmarking and reporting over time. Once those questions are out of the way, you can move onto more specific questions tailored to the needs of the organization and the problems your interview will look to address.
Do: Take their input at face value. In other words — believe them. This isn’t an interrogation. You’ve asked for their input, so accept it willingly. This means not defending the company or contesting their interpretation of events. When the interviewer takes a defensive position, the exiting employee is forced to either backtrack or go silent. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.
Do: Thank them for their candour. This isn’t an easy process for anyone, so when you find an employee who cares enough to have a difficult conversation, show your gratitude.
Do: Offer to follow-up with a summary for review and validation. This gives the departing employee a chance to make sure that their words were not misinterpreted and provides an opportunity for them to provide any final feedback.
Do: Have an agreed-upon course of action from the feedback you receive. Take the input to the next management meeting. Identify any changes that need to be addressed, and assign responsibility.
Don’t: Shrug off the feedback as a personality conflict or sour grapes. If one person is feeling something, it is likely that others are too.
Don’t: Waste the investment. A little work upfront will allow you to build a very valuable process for feedback from a trusted source. Put the time into building your process before your next exit interview.
At BeachHead, we believe exit interviews provide significant value far beyond HR. If you want help getting them right, give us a call to learn how we can help.
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At BeachHead, we are passionate about helping businesses scale up from a strong Operations foundation. The BeachHead Organization Audit (BOA) helps founders evaluate their business through an objective lens. Our BOA scorecard allows us to evaluate all aspects of a growing business so we can recommend changes based on what the organization wants to accomplish in the next phase of growth.
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