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An exit survey and exit interview are a couple of tools companies often use to gather information about why employees decide to leave their company. Exit interviews are basically a one-on-one meeting with the employee who’s leaving either by phone or in person. On the other hand, exit surveys enable the employees to fill out a survey using online survey software to complete a questionnaire.
It's important for Human Resources to conduct these exit interviews so they can properly monitor employee satisfaction and retention, as well as keep a handle on employee turnover. Understanding why the employee left in the first place can help you figure out how to prevent future employee losses.
Reasons to Conduct an Exit Survey
1. Employers can avoid losses that result from poor management practices, employee job dissatisfaction, personal conflict, harassment from other co-workers, and lack of advancement opportunity. While the reasons why employees leave their job vary, a large percentage of them decide to leave their companies because they don't feel valued.
2. Employers can avoid litigation later on which is caused by disgruntled employees or illegal activities.
3. An employee exit interview survey tool can change the climate of the company by making changes based off employee opinions, changing the style of management, and creating value recognition incentives and programs where applicable. A good way to increase an employee's opinion of the company is by managing expectations. It's important there be realistic job expectations and management should be focused on creating proper expectations.
How to Create a Positive Exit interview
When to Interview
Information can be gathered either before or after departure. By having the exit interview after the employee leaves, it allows some breathing room for the former employee and creates time and distance from the organization. This allows the former employee to process the experience in a more dispassionate light. When you conduct these interviews before the employee leaves, you maximize participation rates and can use the interview to help employees depart on a more positive note.
Survey Questionnaire
If you are unable to conduct a face-to-face session, it's important to offer a paper or, better yet, online exit survey as an alternative. Many times, employees who are uncomfortable saying things in person will often put their thoughts down on electronically on survey software.
Questions to Ask
Obviously, your questions will be different for each person being interviewed depending on why they are leaving. However, some straightforward questions for building your online survey software questionnaire might include:
- Why are you leaving?
- Are there other reasons why you are leaving?
- What have you enjoyed most in your time with us?
- What has frustrated you the most in your time with us?
- Upon your departure, what message would you like your management to receive?
- Would you recommend a job here to a friend?
- Would you change anything about us? If so, what?
The employee exits that are the best are those that enable both parties with future growth opportunities and expand company networks. When employees leave feeling supported and satisfied, they will feel more inclined to send future employees or clients your way.
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