The benefits of exit interviews
Staff turnover is disruptive and expensive for any business, particularly when considering the time it takes to hire replacement employees.
While an exit interview might not stop someone from making their next career move, it can help you work out some of the main reasons people say they leave.
That’s why exit interviews are crucial to both retaining talent you have and attracting the right people to replace them.
Feedback can be seen as a gift to the organisation, says Deborah Wilson, Head of Strategy and Performance at On Talent.
“Exit interviews are important for two reasons, firstly so the employee is heard – both their positive and constructive views on the organisation, the structure, their role and their reasons for leaving."
“Secondly, the organisation can review what they could do to improve any of the areas mentioned and overall employee engagement. Looking for trends or patterns if there are recurring themes. Often there are easy wins from exit interviews that might be otherwise overlooked.”
How to conduct a useful exit interview
Asking questions is a helpful start to finding ways to improve.
Wilson says the way interviews are conducted is key to how useful and valuable they are.
“If exit interviews are conducted internally, then you could consider letting the employee pick who they would like to complete it,” she says. “It’s also important to reassure the employee that their responses will be acted upon but also anonymous."
“The interviewer should listen openly to responses, not be defensive and engage with the individual to let them know their views are important and that their comments will be valued.”
Wilson says organisations can also collect valuable data by engaging an external company to conduct their interviews.
“This means employees can get many things off their chest and make genuine suggestions. I believe most individuals want to some way to the future of the organisation and this supports a positive brand.”
What to ask in an exit interview
Martin Dineen, Founder Managing Director of MJD Recruitment, says that when it comes to the most effective questions for an exit interview, it’s important to include a mix of questions to tease out particular areas you may wish to explore.
Some example questions include:
What made you decide to explore new opportunities?
What factors led to your decision to leave the organisation?
How could we improve our company culture?
Did you enjoy your role?
What did you like best about working here?
Can you think of anything that would help your team to improve how you work together?
How do you feel about company leadership?
Do you feel your personal career goals were supported in your time here?
What to do with your exit data
After you have honest answers, it’s important to put them to good use.
“In today’s competitive talent market, understanding the internal issues affecting your people is crucial,” Dineen says.
“Exit interviews don’t just highlight areas for improvement - they also reveal the strengths of your workplace, which you may not even realise. Recognising and promoting these positives is just as important.”
One of the best ways to attract new talent is to use evidence from exit interviews.
“Candidates can tell when they’re being sold a story,” Dineen explains. “Using honest evidence from exit interviews, both the positives and how you’ve addressed the negatives, shows a genuine commitment to improvement, which is incredibly powerful.”
Dineen suggests applying exit interview insights to improve hiring processes too.
“For instance, if resilience is a recurring gap, you can build interview questions to test for it. If your culture is consistently praised, that’s something to proudly highlight to candidates,” he says.
He recommends a thoughtful mix of standard and tailored questions, delivered in a relaxed setting, to encourage honest feedback.
“Your final interaction with an employee should leave a positive impression,” Dineen says. “A great offboarding process protects your reputation and might even win back a valued team member if concerns can genuinely be addressed.”
An alternative to the exit interview
An alternative to an exit interview, says Dineen, is a ‘stay’ interview.
“Conducting regular discussions with your staff in relation to why they stay with you can allow you to identify issues before they become too big,” he says.
Whether through ‘stay’ or ‘exit’ interviews, leaders have the opportunity to learn from employees and to apply these learnings to create a positive workplace for current and future staff.