Strategic Advisor on Talent | Global Executive Coach | Public Speaker I Brand Ambassador | HBR Contributor I Helping organizations attract & retain the best people.
Should exit interviews be shown the door? A business owner recently asked me if I thought he should have an exit interview with an employee who just gave notice. Here’s my response: Are you REALLY open to making changes so that others don’t leave for the same reason. If you can’t answer yes, then don’t waste the employee’s time. Here’s what I recommend doing instead. You should regularly be conducting “stay interviews.” This way you can work on making meaningful changes BEFORE employees decide to pursue other opportunities. Here’s how this works. Meet individually with employees on a regular basis and ask these three questions: 1. What were your hopes and dreams when you took this job? 2. Are you achieving these hopes and dreams? 3. If not, what can we do better to ensure you do? What’s your experience with exit interviews? Do you think they are a good idea? Tell us why it’s a good idea or not in the comments section. #leadership #management #talent #retention
I believe we still utilize the exit interview. I like the premise of the stay interview however like you pointed out unless you are prepared to make changes.........
I am a full believer in stay Interviews, unless management is open to continuous improvement, both exit interviews and stay interviews are just busy work for HR professionals.
As an HR professional Exit Interviews are critical if done in the right way to keep an organization moving in the right direction.? I?always tend to get useful feedback to help? change the culture?or give useful feedback to a manager in a way they don't know its coming from the employee that just exited.
Do you think that a person still working for a company can be honest about the company's problems? I feel like most people wouldn't take the risk.?
I agree! I used to preform exit interviews that, when they reached upper management, became a forum for tearing down the former employee. This is why when I left that company, I didn't waste my time giving one.
Talent Strategist | Program Leader | Change Architect
6 年Roberta Chinsky Matuson, I completely agree with your recommendation.? While it might be worth a try to conduct an exit interview to find out why someone is leaving, it may not be the truth for various reasons even dependent upon the person's country work culture.? Also, what if they might want to come back (i.e. boomerang).? This actually happens.