Exit Interviews Can Provide a Reality Check A good exit interview process can help diagnose an organization's weaknesses and confirm its strengths. Moving on to a new employer usually signals a new beginning for employees, but human resource professionals may be faced with trying to understand what caused a seemingly content employee - perhaps a top performer - to leave the company. Many practitioners believe that exit interviews can help uncover possible reasons for an employee's departure. Information gathered from these interviews may also help identify ways to improve the organization. A 1994 Robert Half International Inc. survey of 150 executives from the nation's 1,000 largest companies found that 93 percent believe exit interviews provide useful information: 42 percent think they are useful in learning how a department can be improved; 34 percent think they help show how the company's overall policies can be made better; and 17 percent believe they give information about how former employees' supervisors can improve their skills. Only 7 percent felt the interviews provided no valuable information. Christine Shreves, manager of employee services at Standard Life, a full-service insurance company with 2,000 employees based in Montreal, says her company uses the exit interview as a way to keep track of what's happening in the company. "It's a tool to help us look at our company policies. For instance, if everyone's leaving because of salary, we will investigate [salary trends]. The exit interview is a check for us to see how we're doing." Shreves says that if she notices a trend she will feed the information back to managers in a "general" way. For instance, if one department had several employees leaving for the same reason, Shreves would report the trend to the manager and meet with the manager to get his or her side. "An employee who is leaving is giving one side. You can validate and test the employee's version by allowing the manager to give his or her view of the issue. If there's a problem or concern, we can work together to solve it." CONVINCING EMPLOYEES TO OPEN UP Using the exit interview as a way to get feedback seems ideal, but convincing employees to open up is often difficult. Employees who are leaving may be concerned about getting a good reference and not burning bridges; as a result, many will be cautious about criticizing a manager or supervisor. To get solid information, interviewers need to be as objective as possible, says Robert Giacalone, associate professor of business at the University of Richmond. If employees sense that an interviewer is defensive or biased against them, they are more apt to distort their answers or not talk at all, he says. Interviewers must also keep in mind that employees really may have nothing to gain from an exit interview. In fact, they may be more concerned about using the interview as an opportunity to meet their own political goals. "One of the things we've found is what we call the 'impression management' problem," says Giacalone. "If I'm an employee who is leaving, I'll tell you what I think is going to help me

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reach my goals. . . We often find that in the exit interview employees are trying to create an image. They are going to be very careful." When creating questions, says Giacalone, steer clear of those that would embarrass or offend the employee, probe into the employee's personal life, or require the employee to respond in a way that criticizes a co-worker or manager. Those are the kinds of questions most likely to lead to "impression management," he says. No matter how skillfully the questions are crafted, the quality of information you get often depends on the circumstances of the employee's termination, says Stephen D. Bruce, publisher of the HR Manager's Legal Reporter and author of the book Million Dollar Mouths. It's important to phrase the questions carefully for those employees willing to talk, says Bruce. "When valued employees are leaving, start out by saying how valuable they were to the company and that you want their opinion on ways the company can improve its processes." After putting the interview in that context, use the same good techniques you would apply to any interview, he says. For instance, use open- ended questions and follow up with probing questions. "A lot of times the first answer will be bland." You have to dig down below the surface, he says. "People are always prepared for a series of standard questions. You have to go at least one level beyond that to try to get some good information." To amplify the answers, he says, ask for specific examples. But no matter how comfortable you make the employee feel or how skillfully you craft your questions, the bottom line is that some employees still will not talk. "If people have decided beforehand not to say something, then they won't," says Bruce. "You're not going to get everyone to reveal all information," he says. "But you will get a lot of people to reveal some information." HR OR LINE MANAGER? There is some debate over who should conduct the interview - the employee's supervisor or a human resource professional. Some practitioners feel that it's best for managers to conduct the interview to get firsthand feedback; others feel that human resource officials should interview the employee. At Standard Life, Shreves tries to meet with as many departing employees as possible but, she says, because the work relationship existed between the manager and the employee, the employee's manager does the primary interview. "If there's a problem where the employee feels uncomfortable talking to the manager, we will conduct the interview, but we feel that the role of human resources in this area is to consult," Shreves says. When a Standard Life employee resigns, an exit interview form is sent to the manager. After the manager and employee complete the form, it is sent to human resources where the information is compiled and analyzed. The manager also completes a termination checklist to take care of matters such as securing the return of company property and ensuring that employees fully understand the status of benefits such as vacation pay and insurance.

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Stephen Bruce believes that someone in the HR department should conduct the primary interview. "If it's a person other than the supervisor, you're more likely to get the employee to talk about a problem," he says. Another reason for HR's involvement in the process, says Bruce, is that as experienced interviewers, human resource professionals are more likely to be attuned to hints of potential legal problems, such as harassment or discrimination. Sometimes, he says, allowing employees to vent their anger or disappointment in an official way can help prevent a lawsuit later on. Because of the sensitive and controversial issues that could surface in an exit interview, it's not wise to guarantee confidentiality, says Bruce. There are some things people may reveal that you can't ignore-an accusation of harassment, for example. "You can tell the employee that you will try to maintain confidentiality, but you can't guarantee it. How you respond to controversial information about harassment or discrimination depends on the seriousness of the accusation, Bruce says. For example, in the case of a direct accusation of sexual harassment it's important to act immediately. "Ignoring a complaint like that could be dangerous. Taking immediate action doesn't guarantee that you're not going to have some liability but it can help your case," he says. PROBLEMS WITH EXIT INTERVIEWS Although most human resource professionals agree that exit interviews can provide valuable information, they are not required in many organizations. And when they are conducted, they're often done without a clear purpose in mind and with no plan for what to do with the information, says Giacalone. Good exit interviews, he says, are goal driven. "Many companies say they conduct exit interviews because it's the right thing to do. One company I worked with said they conduct exit interviews because ‘it's good to have in case we need it.' How can you know what questions to ask if you don't know what the purpose is?" Misusing and underusing information gained from exit interviews is another problem, says Giacalone. When done correctly, exit interviews can provide data, collected over time, that will point out trends indicating potential weaknesses or strengths in an organization. But it's important not to make generalizations out of statistically insignificant information, says Giacalone. One person's dissatisfaction with salary does not necessarily require an overhaul of the company's compensation program. It's best to look at information over the long term, he says. Used correctly, exit interviews can provide good feedback. But a first step for many organizations, says Bruce, is establishing an exit interview process and making that process a requirement. "If it's not a requirement, it's likely that a very important exit interview will be missed. It's too easy for the employee or employer not to bother with it. The requirement makes it happen." By Phaedra Brotherton, HRMagazine, August 1996

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EXIT INTERVIEW FORM Conducted with (Name, Title)

Date

Conducted by (Name, Title)

1. For what reasons are you leaving the institution?

2. What is your understanding of the events which have led to separation? (Cover this if employee was subject to disciplinary procedure.) 3. What is your opinion of the supervision you received? 4. What did you most like and dislike about the institution and its policies? 5. What do you recommend that the institution change? How? 6. What is your opinion of working conditions in the institution? 7. How do you feel about the pay? Benefits? 8. What is your opinion about the training you received? 9. Do you believe that appropriate opportunities for advancement were available? 10. Have you obtained a new job? Yes _____ No _____ If yes, would you please tell us: Employer's name Address Position title

Starting salary

11. What do you see as most attractive about the new job?

Interviewee's signature

Interviewer's signature

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This form must be made out personally by the terminating employee's immediate Supervisor or the Department Head and forwarded to the Personnel Department immediately upon completion. If any information is vague or incomplete, the Form will be returned. Name Address City/State Employee number Present position Supervisor

Service date Last day worked Termination date Length of service __(years) ___(months) Department Service allowance

Resignation (Check one) _____Secured better position _____Dissatisfied (type of work) _____Dissatisfied (salary) _____Dissatisfied (supervisor) _____Dissatisfied (working conditions) _____Dissatisfied (living conditions) _____Generally dissatisfied (explain) _____Poor health or physical condition _____Returned to school _____Leaving the district _____Pregnancy _____Family or personal circumstances _____Marriage _____Early retirement _____Temporary employee _____Mutual agreement (company/employee)

Discharge (Check one) _____Unsatisfactory performance _____Absenteeism or tardiness _____Lack of ability _____Inability to do work _____Insubordination _____Lack of cooperation _____Rules violation _____Dishonesty or theft _____Physical limitation/disability _____Overstayed leave of absence _____Retirement _____Death _____Reduction in workforce _____Misconduct _____Disruptive influence on workforce _____Other (explain)

Reason for leaving (Supervisor or Department Head's statement)

Employee Evaluation (by Supervisor) Quality of work Quantity of work Conduct Attendance Overall rating

Excellent † † † † †

Good † † † † †

If allowed by local plant policy, would you re-employ? _____ Yes If not, why?

Fair † † † † † _____ No

Signature Supervisor

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Poor † † † † †