As the name proposes, Exit Interviews are a form of discussion between employer and leaving employee mainly to have an idea of what makes them leave their current job.
Exit interview is also a very good tool to control attrition. By conducting exit interviews, employers can gather the knowledge to improve working conditions. The feedback provided by the exiting employees helps the organization to focus on the areas of improvement.
When a valuable employee decides to leave, the organization faces a remarkable loss. The organization undertakes an exit interview with such employees not only to know the reason of what is making them leave but also to encourage exiting employee to reconsider their decision of leaving and staying back with the organization.
For effective results, exit interview must be conducted in a serious manner. The exiting employee should feel at ease and respected. This makes them feel confident and encourages them to reveal the true reasons of leaving.
The HR manager who will be taking the interview should create a comfortable atmosphere so that the departing employee should freely express his views and feelings helping the organization to identify problem areas.
The HR manager/ Interviewer should have an unbiased attitude and should avoid tricky questions. Active uninterrupted listening on employer’s part will create an opportunity to know the problem in detail. Questions related to career growth, job satisfaction, workplace culture / harassment, discrimination and organization’s policies can be asked.
The decision to participate in the exit interview and to answer such question is ultimately up to the leaving employee.
There are varying views whether exit interviews are good or bad but they are considered to be useful tools. Whether it is for good or bad but high attrition rate is causing employers to think favorably towards implementation of exit interviews.
