Employees leaving your company is an excellent source of valuable insight. You can get honest feedback about your culture, management, and the business as a whole. Here are 7 exit interview questions you need to ask:
1. What prompted you to apply for another job?
Expect a variety of answers to this question. It may be that the company is no longer the right fit, or they are moving to a workplace closer to home. You’ll get the crucial data once you start seeing a pattern or a common denominator.
2. What led you to your decision to accept the offer?
The answers to this one will help you compare your company with the competition. You will be able to see what you are lacking that made the employee go to them and leave you. Be prepared to hear about higher pay or better benefits, factors that you may not readily see for yourself.
3. What could we have done better?
This is a direct question that only a quitting employee will be able to answer honestly. These will indeed allow you to see the contrast between your company and another organization. This is the best way to get insights into what your management is lacking. Remember that all feedback will be helpful in improving what your company is falling short on.
4. Would you consider returning?
The goal here is not to make them stay but rather to reveal why people leave. You can then correlate their answers with their stay at your company. Be ready to get a yes or no response, which you can counter with “What can we do to change your mind?” The data you’ll gather will help you retain people and keep vital positions filled.
5. If you can change anything about our company, what would it be?
With this exit interview question, you can zero in on the primary reason why the employee is leaving. This will help reveal the answer in detail. It is also a good question as it is non-confrontational. You’ll be asking them what they could change as opposed to what they didn’t like. You’ll be able to elicit a suggestion rather than get a complaint.
6. Do you feel that your job has changed since you joined us?
Job roles evolve and inevitably change as time passes. This is due to the changing needs of the position and the department or company. Most of the time, this lessens an employee’s enthusiasm and motivation. Getting insightful data on this will help you improve the job description and find replacements more suited to these changes.
7. Would you recommend our company to a friend? Why or why not?
Ideally, you would want a yes answer to this one, however, negative replies to this question will also be valuable. A yes will mean that your company is thriving as a whole. In addition, former employees are excellent sources for referrals. On the other hand, a no means you get to identify issues and correct them.
