Getting the most out of an exit interview

One of the best ways to get honest feedback is to ask employees who no longer rely on you for their livelihood. Exit interviews give a company excellent information about what they can improve, but also about what they are doing well. Exit interviews are an inexpensive and quick way to gather data about how a company functions.

Employee exit interviews can reveal powerful insights that you wouldn’t have access to otherwise. You can conduct exit interviews face-to-face, build an exit interview form or exit interview template online.

Given the competitive environment of Healthcare Communications there can be a variety of reasons why people choose to leave – a change in direction, a desire for improved work/life balance, or better pay and/or promotion prospects to name a few.

To ensure that you get the most out of the interview you need to keep it professional; keep it short and to the point and try not to burn bridges (the grass isn’t always greener, the employee may one day get back in touch to discuss resuming a role with you and former employees can be wonderful advocates for your company).

Some example questions that could be asked are:

1. Why did you begin looking for a new job?

Asking this simple exit interview question opens up the opportunity for a variety of answers. You may see that an employee simply needed a job closer to home, or it may point to a specific instance or situation that sparked the search.

2. What ultimately led you to accept the new position?

This is a good exit interview question because it will allow you to contrast your company’s position with a different organisation’s. The key to this answer is actually in what you don’t see. For instance, if an employee indicates that they are leaving for higher pay, this could mean that your compensation package isn’t competitive enough.

3. Did you feel that you were equipped to do your job well?

If you want a direct way to better retain the employee who fills this position next, ask this question. It’s one of the best exit interview questions that will help you generate an immediate proactive response. Be prepared for tales of technology woes, inadequate training and more, but also be prepared to gain valuable knowledge of what you can do better next time.

4. How would you describe the culture of our company?

This question isn’t probing for specific examples but instead will help you identify trends. As you keep track of employee exit interviews, watch for trends throughout to help you identify real concerns. Identifying trends can also help you separate legitimate concerns from the personal opinion of employees who are emotional or feel negatively about the company.

5. What could have been done for you to remain employed here?

There is no question more direct than this one. Often, a frank question will give employees an opportunity to open up where they were afraid to before. Obviously, this question isn’t aimed at fulfilling their request in order to keep them employed there, but it will help in the future.

6. Did you share your concerns with anyone at the company prior to leaving?

This common question points back to your employee culture and whether your employee felt comfortable to share concerns with superiors or colleagues. The key here is to understand if you promote an environment where employees feel safe and comfortable to voice their opinions.

7. If you could change anything about your job or the company, what would you change?

Though you’ll likely gain a lot of insight throughout the exit interview, this question will help the employee to focus in on the biggest or most important reason they’re leaving your company. This is also a non-confrontational way to encourage them to reveal the real reason they’re leaving, as it isn’t asking what they didn’t like, but what they would change. It shifts their answer from a complaint to a suggestion, which many people feel more comfortable providing. Often, just the way we ask a question can make all the difference.

8. Management is often a key factor in an employee’s decision to leave. Were you satisfied with the way you were managed?

Asking your former employee about management is critical. Understanding if there’s any issues or direct problems will help you take preventative measures from losing future talent.

9. Did you have clear goals and objectives?

Employees don’t like feeling like they’re just a cog in the machine. They want to know that their work matters and helps drive towards a greater goal.

10. Did you receive constructive feedback to help you improve your performance?

Again, your employees don’t want to feel like they’re stagnant. Understanding their personal objectives, and helping them improve their arsenal of skills should be a key area of focus.

11. How can our company improve training and development programmes?

This ties into your ability to engage employees. Higher engagement leads to higher employee retention.

12. Would you consider coming back to work here in the future? In what area or function? What would need to change?

Find out if employees would ever consider coming back. It could be that they just want to gain experience in a particular role, or may want an increase in compensation. Regardless, this is great information to have if different roles of interest open up.

Remember exit interviews aren’t meant to be uncomfortable or to make a departing member of the team feel bad and guilt them in to staying. Instead, it’s an opportunity for a business to learn how they can improve the work environment for current and future employees.

If you would like to chat about your present recruiting needs then please do contact me.

Carys