How to get the best of exit interviews

Exit interviews are pivotal parts of offboarding processes. While it has been a routine for some organisations, it is actually one of the best ways to assess the state of the organisation.

In this part of the world, most times, exits are not taking in good note, especially in Startups, and because of this , the departing employees often withold relevant information that could benefit the organisations going forward, even at the point of exits. To encourage more employees to participate in an exit interview, employers should stress the confidentiality of the discussions.

Resigning from a job takes a lot of strength and mental resilience, and as I often advise, it is better to part on a good note, and have a former employee who continues to be an amabassador of your organisation than a disgruntled employee who can't wait to be done with your company.

Below are a few ways to get the best of an exit interview.

1. Share a survey: According to SHRM , exiting employees share a lot more information when answering a survey, than during a face-to-face or in-person interview . This has been traced to the trepidity that might limit full honesty when expressing opinions, due to the power dynamics that might have existed in the organisation.
2. Don't ask open ended questions: Either it is a survey or an in-person interview, it is pivotal to ask specific questions as against general questions that might lead to general answers . For instance; asking -"how was your time with us" vs asking "could you share some of the exciting/pleasant memories you have experienced with the team/within the organisation" will give different kind of responses.
3. Do not be defensive or confrontational: It is the final lap of your interaction and it is important that you are as receptive as possible. While you can make clarifications when necessary, you should avoid being defensive or confrontational during the conversation to enable you get as much honest information as possible.
4. Assure confidentiality: Exiting employees are occasionally concerned about burning bridges, thus it is important to assure confidentiality when required so that the employees have enough confidence to share their thoughts freely without worrying about what will happen to them in the nearest future especially if they need a reference from a former employer.

For the talent departing, it is important that you express yourself with clarity of thoughts without exuding hatred or condescencion. It is also okay to keep some thoughts to yourself if you do think that the "interviewers" might take your feedback the wrong way.

A company's culture often reflects in how they carry out the exit interviews and this often guide how seamless the conversations go-thus it is important that both parties are mutually respectable.

What other things should employers and employees watch out for during an exit process?

Please share below.

P:S- If youa re looking to get some guidiance on how to perform exit interviews or any other related HR function or you have any people-related challenges that you need clarifications about, please click on the link below to sign up and get scalable solutions to your people-related challenges.

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#Exits #Offboarding #Talentretention.