Research from Social.com reveals that 75% of all companies are performing exit interviews. That same research indicates that only 1% of participants do them correctly. Many times, exit interviews focus only on updating job descriptions rather than trying to determine precisely why their employees are leaving. Try asking the following essential questions to ensure your exit surveys are effective.
1. How was the onboarding process, and how could it be improved?
A new hire’s first impression of your company can significantly affect how long they stay. Don’t let a lousy onboarding process give others a negative connotation that you must work hard to overcome.
2. Do you feel you received adequate training?
An inadequate or outdated training program can frustrate workers and lead them to develop imposter syndrome. Talking candidly about your training program can help you identify gaps and any additional resources you may need to provide.
3. Was management supportive of your career goals?
Those looking for advancement opportunities must know they’re being supported; otherwise, many will seek positions elsewhere. Accordingly, it would help if you offered good mentorship and support for individuals seeking more significant challenges.
4. What did you like most about working here?
Knowing what your company is doing well is just as important as finding out what areas you need to improve. And it will also keep you from making changes that will harm rather than help you. After all, the last thing you want is to eliminate a program, benefit, or perk that most of your employees look forward to.
5. Was there ever a time when you felt proud of your work?
Aside from pay, the one thing that drives most people is a sense of accomplishment. As such, you should determine what makes your employees feel proud. This might be formal recognition for some, while others may thrive when given new challenges.
6. What prompted you to begin looking for another job?
In asking this question, you are trying to determine if there’s a common theme. For example, are individuals leaving because of bad management, poor working conditions, or insufficient benefits? Please pay attention to recurring answers so you can take measures to mitigate them.
7. What criteria are/were you looking for in your next employer?
Knowing how you measure up to other companies is essential. Are workers leaving because they want better pay or more flexibility? If so, think of ways to implement those things in your workplace so others won’t even want to consider quitting.
8. Would you ever consider working for us again? If so, under what circumstances?
According to Forbes, “boomerang employees” have increased in recent years. In many cases, previous employees can help you fill positions you might otherwise struggle to hire for. Plus, those individuals tend to have a shorter learning curve than others once they are rehired-even if they are not returning to the same position. So, it never hurts to know what it might take to get one of your highest performers back.
Implementing Changes Based on Your Exit Interviews? Allow us to help.
You’ll likely discover some areas you need to work on during an exit interview. If any of those involve HR, we would be pleased to assist you in creating an improvement plan. Allow Abel HR to help you with payroll and benefits so that those things do not become another reason people leave. To schedule a consultation, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today.
