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| Management Tools |
| The Exit Interview: Questions you should have asked a long time ago |
You have heard of the exit interview. Ostensibly, the purpose is for the employer to visit with an employee who is leaving the company to gather facts that will assist the company to improve policies, procedures, and morale, so the interviewer will ask questions like:
- Can you explain why you have chosen to leave the company?
- What are your views on the management, and what could be improved?
- What did you like about the company?
- What did you not like about the company?
- How could we improve employee morale?
But a savvy employee will see through the sham. If the interview is due to a termination, an employee won’t be in a rush to share information that can be used against him. If an employee has resigned, her last concern is making improvements to the company she is leaving. If you were really interested in knowing an employee’s views about effective management, or if you were curious about his ideas for improvements, you wouldn’t wait for an exit interview to ask. “Common sense tells us that the emotional stress of parting company (under even the best circumstances) can stimulate wildly inaccurate and unreliable statements from both parties,” writes Nick Corcodilos, a nationally recognized headhunter. Instead, Corcodilos recommends asking these kinds of questions every six months so that you can use the information you gather to help the employee and improve your company.
“A relationship between employer and employee requires frequent, candid exchanges about all the topics normally covered in an exit interview. Regularly discussing these issues can help you keep your best employees, and it can help you improve the way you run your company.” If potential litigation is your concern, there are responsible ways to gather the information that are far more effective than an exit interview.
If the employee’s exit has left you short-handed, consider a temp-to-permanent arrangement as an alternative to hiring. We can help you avoid turbulent terminations and resignations by giving you the opportunity to thoroughly test the employer/employee relationship before you make an offer of permanent employment.
Source: Corcodilos, Nick. “Exit Interview, Stage Right.” Ask the Headhunter: The Insider’s Edge on Job Search & Hiring. 23 July 2005 <http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/haexit.htm>.
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