INTHEBLACK February 2022 - Magazine - Page 69
“If you have a culture that values openness,
transparency and sharing of ideas, then there
shouldn’t be a lot of new things coming out of
exit interviews. This is why an exit interview
could be invaluable – it either supports the
culture you think you have, or it highlights
the areas that you need to improve.”
ILONA CHARLES, ORGANISATIONAL EXPERT
feedback they may not be ready to hear. “They worry
about what it does to their reputation – how they are
viewed in the organisation, and if it puts their future
promotions at risk,” LeBusque says.
When organisations “let people leave quietly”, however,
they are missing the opportunity to learn and grow from
feedback, even if it’s negative, LeBusque says.
Plus, the news may not be all bad after all. “There’s an
assumption that, when people leave, that it has to end
badly,” LeBusque says. However, an employee may simply
be going onto a better opportunity. “They might have
some great things to tell you about your organisation.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF TIMING
Proper timing is important to the success of an exit
interview, says Charles.
“If they’ve just resigned, for example, then the employee
may not be willing to share just yet. But if you leave it too
late, they start to disengage from the organisation, and
you may not get the inputs that you need.”
The “sweet spot” is somewhere in the middle, she says
– about two weeks into a four-week notice period.
Start with the obvious question, “Why are you leaving?”,
before moving onto specific questions covering their
manager, peers and team, suggests Charles. “That will
give a good indication of what the culture is like in that
team and the leadership approach.”
The interview should also include questions about
the organisation’s broader culture, how supported the
employee felt in their role, what things worked well and
what didn’t work as well.
LeBusque’s advice is to let the conversation flow. “If it’s
all scripted, the person who’s being interviewed will…say
what they think people want to hear,” he says. “Allow
there to be some flexibility.”
A standardised questionnaire or survey can provide
quantitative data that can be used in conjunction with the
qualitative insights garnered from a face-to-face meeting.
“Make sure that managers understand that this is not a
compliance-based activity,” says LeBusque. “They are
there to get some insights into what’s working well in the
organisation and what isn’t, so pay them the time and
respect that they’re due.”
POSITIVE CHANGE
Data and insights gathered during the exit interview
process should be used to drive organisation-wide
positive change.
“If there’s a pattern emerging around why people are
leaving, make sure that information is disseminated from
HR into the business,” says LeBusque.
“Here are the trends we’re picking up – we’re losing
people because of salary, we’re losing people because
of disengagement.”
Organisations should then incorporate these insights
into leadership development, HR processes and
workplace policies.
“If someone says, ‘My leader was a bad communicator’,
‘My leader never gave me time’, ‘My leader continued to
cancel my one-on-ones’ – organisations should start to
focus on those things. Not just acknowledge them, but
take action on them as well,” LeBusque says.
Charles says, in an ideal world, an exit interview
won’t offer up any surprises.
“If you have a culture that values openness,
transparency and sharing of ideas, then there shouldn’t
be a lot of new things coming out of exit interviews.
“This is why an exit interview could be invaluable – it
either supports the culture you think you have, or it
highlights the areas that you need to improve.”
CLICK HERE
TO READ
an INTHEBLACK
article on
workplace
farewells
intheblack.com February 2022 69