Businesses that find themselves dealing with a high rate of employee turnover must take steps to understand the cause. Root causes can be complicated, but understanding the reasons can help a company make lasting changes that will improve retention.
The Importance of Exit Interviews
Losing a valued employee is never easy but it can present a valuable learning opportunity if employers are willing to reflect on and identify why it happened. Many companies fail to conduct a thorough investigation to help them understand the corrective actions needed to prevent similar episodes from occurring in the future. Issues such as inadequate training, poor screening for job fitness or a misunderstanding about job expectations can be better addressed if brought into the open.
Even when exit interviews take place, they are often ineffective because departing employees:
- Hesitate to provide candid feedback because they’re worried about leaving a bad impression.
- Believe that the company is unwilling to change, even if it becomes aware of shortcomings.
- Wish to withhold information intentionally for their own reasons.
A thoughtful exit interview—whether it be a face-to-face conversation, a questionnaire, a survey, or a combination—can reveal what does or doesn’t work inside the organization. Companies should consider using both standardized, structured questions and unstructured discussion to try to capture as many insights as possible.
MarathonHR Can Help Improve Your Exit Interview Process
Businesses that don’t conduct exit interviews may never learn what problems are leading to high turnover. MarathonHR has been able to help employers ascertain their issues with retention by providing exit interview services, including making follow-up calls to exiting employees. By acting as a neutral party, we may be able to gather more candid feedback from former employees than a company manager could.
Please contact us to discuss how we can increase your employee retention by improving your exit interview process.