What Is a Traditional Exit Interview Like - Essay Example

A. THE TRADITIONAL EXIT INTERVIEW What is a traditional exit interview like? Traditional exit interview is just like a formal conversation between the resigning employee and the human resource representative of the company. In other organizations, it is just like having a normal conversation with the resigning employee in order to ensure that he or she is confident to share about his or her real emotion regarding the company and his or her entire working experience with it. It is mostly conducted on the last day of an employee with the company. The conversation would normally start with a question just like, “how are you?” In some instances where an employee is very valuable to the company, the question might be, “So have you really made up your mind, are you really resigning?” There are many questions that the human resource personnel would like to ask the resigning employee and most of them are in line with the work experiences of the latter. This definitely will help the company evaluate some important reasons why an employee is resigning. At some point, this may also help the company realize some important points or adjustments that it needs to implement in order to retain its most valuable personnel. Contrary to a job interview, traditional exit interview is like a formal process of ending one’s responsibility with his or her employer. I remember, there were series of questions that were presented by the authorized personnel of the human resource without even knowing that it was already an actual exit interview. It was not conducted at the last day of my employment, but I still consider it as a form of traditional exit interview because the goal was purely for the benefit of the entire company. There was a specific attempt to hold my employment with them through a personal question from my boss which sounded like, “Would you be willing to leave your friend in this company and would you allow us to loss a valuable person like you?”. That certainly struck my emotion and I must admit it was because of a certain pride in me that I felt at that time upon knowing the fact from them that I was one of the assets of the company. I believe that at some point, the traditional exit interview is perfect opportunity for the company to hold back its very important employees. However, I believe everyone has the freedom to move out from an employment in the same way there was freedom in moving in. Follow up: What is wrong with the traditional exit interview? I think there must be something wrong with the traditional exit interview especially that it is usually conducted at the last day of employment. A person’s emotion might be mixed up with excitement and significant other feelings; perhaps one reason is the thought of leaving a close friend. I must admit that during the interview, as what I observed from those who were interviewed, not all questions are answered with the right information. I remember a co-worker, single but got pregnant. As top sales representative, a traditional exit interview was initiated as a way to help her change her mind. There were many questions asked and her very point of resigning is to go back to school. However, I knew her very well and actually she did not like her immediate superior due to work-related conflicts. However, this did not come out in the interview. She did not even tell everyone that she was pregnant. I think it is in situations like this where there is something wrong with traditional exit interview. An employee at some point might be hesitant to tell the whole truth. B. THE BEST REASONS TO CONDUCT EXIT INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS Why do many companies decide not to conduct an exit interview on the last day? I personally agree that on the last day of employment, an employee might be emotional which may eventually hinder him or her from giving accurate information. Second, the employees might be one-sided about their opinion about the company due to some personal related matters. Finally, an individual might end up telling lies just to be able to please the company just because of future good references. Thus, personal or intentional biases are most likely to surface during the traditional exit interview. Based on the above information, I believe that many companies would not want to conduct exit interview on the last day. The above information could stand as the basic factors why an exit interview is not actually effective especially if it is conducted on the last day. Let us take it from the point of view of an employee who is very emotional during the exit interview. I have a co-worker, an engineer and was about to resign, but the problem was that she did not actually like the idea because of some sentimental value with the company she worked with for almost four years. She witnessed the ups and downs of the company and she remarkably contributed a great part in solving some big issues. Her point was like that, but when she had a conversation with the manager during the exit interview, she told him that it was difficult on her part to leave him knowing that there were still many things to do. Actually she had a point, but the real score was her ability not to tell the truth due to overwhelming emotion of leaving the company itself. It was not about the manager and I should say it because I heard her most of the time back fighting the manager regarding his way of leading the entire team. I was new employed by then and I saw remarkable culture in that company that the manager must have to be strongly and willingly changed by himself. I also once had a friend, a supervisor in the technical department. He was one sided the way things worked for him in the company he was working with. His salary was not sufficient for his family to make both ends meet. As a result, he was full of negative comments about the company especially on how it paid its employees. As a result, all of these negative comments surfaced during the exit interview not knowing that it was entirely based on the personal circumstances of the employee. Actually, there was a big problem on his attitude. He was not enjoying the way he was paid in the company because of choking debts he had with various credit providers. He was actually one of the highest paid personnel in the company due to his function and actually there had nothing more demanding to do when it comes to his job. His response to the way how company paid him was I believe unfair to the organization. Unfortunately, the exit interview might record the information he shared as a point against the company to its employees. Finally, another sales executive is planning to resign and he was asking for remarkable proof of merits from the company that he could present once he would apply for another job. As a result, he was hesitant to comment on the manager regarding his way of leading the entire organization and it ended up with flattering words, which the manager eventually took as unsolicited compliment. Follow up: What information that a company hopes to gain from an exit interview? As stated earlier, I believe the information that a company hopes to gain from an exit interview would normally involve things that could help in evaluating its performance. This may sound like a selfish act, but this is the reality I personally observed. The company may have the point of trying to retain valuable employees but in times when it could no longer find any ways to convince them, the most important point of the exit interview would be to evaluate organizational structures, management concerns and many more. In fact, I experienced this. The manager was very open to me about his plans. And it was like I was betraying him when I informed him that I was resigning. However, in order to compliment what he had contributed in my personal gain, I decided to tell the truth which could help him evaluate where everything is actually heading on with his plan. I did not suggest it but I was into asking him some important questions and allowed him to answer them in order to evaluate his plans. That is it. The point of the exit interview in my experience was purely for the advantage or benefits of the company. C. MOST FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR CONDUCTING EXIT INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS Regardless if the exit interview is an interview or survey what kind of conditions are needed to have the best results? (There are 8 reasons; I think we need to split it into three. 2 will have 3 and 1 will have 2. Your responses’ need to be long enough that I can break them into follow up questions) From the article at workforce.com, on this link (http://www.workforce.com/article/20050125/NEWS02/301259989) there are eight conditions that are said to create optimum results for exit interviews or surveys and they are the following: trained, independent interviewers; offered on post-exit basis; guaranteed confidentiality and anonymity; conducted with all employees who leave; consistent survey questions; findings reported to management; exit findings combined with other organizational data; and leaders and managers taking actions based on findings. Let us subdivide them into three groups: First group: trained, independent interviewers; offered on post-exit basis, and guaranteed confidentiality and anonymity. Second group: conducted with all employees who leave; consistent survey questions; findings reported to management. Third group: exit findings combined with other organizational data; and leaders and managers taking actions based on findings. The first group is actually in line with having the right skills and the right ideas regarding exit interview or surveys. It is implied that various human experiences are taken into account in order to understand the actual human behavior. The second group is about consistency of the process and it has to be all throughout among every leaving employees. The point of this is to ensure that the exit interview needs to have a specific and definite purpose so as to come up with useful things about it. The third group is about the organization’s willingness to change based on the obtained information. At this point, various information need to be integrated by the organization in order to remarkably create one definite action it has to take. D. ONE LAST CHANCE TO RECLAIM A VALUED EMPLOYEE Is there a chance to keep a valued employee during an exit interview? I believe there is a chance but based on my experience it depends on the needs of the resigning employee. In some cases when a valuable employee only needs to be appreciated, then I think there is a great chance that he or she will stay in the company. Follow up question: What can an alert and proactive exit interviewer do? Personally, I believe it would build enthusiasm on the part of a departing employee and perhaps it would create another level of positive impression about the company. However, I also believe that once an employee has made up his or her mind, I always believe that no level of great exit interview can influence his or her decision. Furthermore, it would also not change the fact that his willingness to tell the truth is always based on his or her personal decision. However, I believe that such decision can be probably changed if alert and proactive exit interviewer is really trained and highly equipped with his or her own cup of tea. Libby Sartain in her book HR from the heart, recommends trying to connect with departing employees on a deeper more human level by asking some questions. What are these questions? 1. If you had the last three months to live over again, what do you think you would do differently? 2. What have you learned that you can take with you to your next job? 3. What are you proud of from your time here? 4. What goals did you meet? 5. What accomplishments will you be able to take with you? E. JUST ONE MORE QUESTION What is the most important question that needs to be asked in an exit interview? Will you be willing to join us again in the future? Read More