Exit interviews: Resignations are the ultimate management feedback

Find out about exit interviews and the opportunties they offer management.

Do you know what really hurts a leader or an organization? When one of their best employees unexpectedly resigns.

What’s the typical reaction when this happens? The scramble begins to backfill the position and schedule an exit interview. How are we going to do to hire someone as quickly as possible? Overlooked is the step of understanding the reasons the staff member resigned - of learning the why’s around the resignation.

Behind the resignation

It’s easy to believe that people leave for more money, more perks or a new challenge - reasons often given in a resignation notice. However, we have all heard that people leave managers and not the organization. Employees leave, or become disengaged, when they

• Try to speak up but are ignored.
• Wait to be recognized but aren’t.
• Lose trust in managers and leadership.
• Get tired of believing things will get better.

It takes time and resources to hire, train, develop and retain a great staffer. So, maybe we should spend a bit more time considering the impact just one person’s departure can have on the organization.

Exit interviews

Many organizations conduct exit interviews before the resigning employee leaves, and done right, they can be powerful tools. Often a questionnaire is used to gather information. Another approach is having HR conduct an interview with the employee because it allows follow-up questions to be asked and additional information collected.

Potential exit interview questions include:

• Why did you start looking?
• Why are you leaving and how did you make the decision to resign?
• What could we have done differently to retain you?
• Did you have what you needed to do your job successfully? If not, what was missing?
• Did you get the training you needed to be successful? If not, what was missing?
• If you were the CEO or executive director of this organization for one day, what would be your first action?
• If you have a new job, what made you accept it?
• Would you recommend this organization to a colleague or friend?
• Would you ever consider returning to this organization if we had an opening?
• Is there anything I haven’t asked that you want to share?

A trained interviewer will take the opportunity to invite the employee to add anything that hasn’t been discussed or asked and keep the door open for further contact after the employee leaves. Carefully reflect on the reasons why people are resigning. Collect feedback from multiple sources. Take action where needed.

Shaping the employee experience

It is obvious that when you receive the resignation notice, it is too late to change the organizational structure or any major policy that might have influenced that one employee’s decision to leave. However, there are actions you can take and changes you can make to positively impact the employee experience going forward.

Make sure your managers and leaders are constantly looking for ways they can improve the culture so that people want to stay.  Encourage them to talk with, not at, their teams; to solicit ideas and act on them when possible; and to recognize top talent while they are still part of the team.

Conduct stay interviews - asking similar questions of employees periodically, rather than only when they leave when it’s too late. For example:

• What is most satisfying about your job/the organization?
• What, if anything, would you change?
• Are you receiving enough training and support to do your job?
• Are you receiving sufficient feedback?

• How can we improve in these area?

• What feedback can you provide regarding, both organization-wide and your immediate management?
• How is the organization helping you to fulfill your career goals?
• What would you improve to make our workplace better?
• What do you think it takes to succeed at this organization?

Today’s employees want to make a difference. You can increase retention, enhance your culture and make people feel valued by:

• Providing development opportunities.
• Recognizing employee’s contributions.
• Paying fairly and providing competitive benefits.
• Providing a flexible work environment.
• Providing work/life balance.
• Creating a sense of belonging.
• Making work challenging.
• Setting clear expectations and holding people accountable.

Management feedback

Resignations can provide managers with good information to help them make good decisions. If people leave their bosses and managers and not their jobs or organizations, it’s because managers play a significant role in hiring, training, and developing staff members and this shapes the culture.

Leaders, here’s a challenge. Consider every resignation notice and subsequent exit interview as unspoken feedback - an honest performance review - of leadership and management. It’s time to give serious thought to:

• What we missed.
• What we ignored.
• What we failed to provide.

The best managers - the great managers - work to bring out the best in their people. They motivate people to get things done in a way that brings meaning to the individual, the team and the organization.

However, don’t wait until you get a resignation to take action to improve your ability to retain the best talent. Go out of your way to create an engaging work environment with your employees, one where everyone feels included and wants to contribute. Leadership determines whether people stay or quietly plan their exit.

Join the global human resources online community

Join HR Exchange Network today and interact with a vibrant network of professionals, keeping up to date with the industry by accessing our wealth of articles, videos, live conferences and more.

Join Now