How to Up Your Exit Interview Game

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To a certain degree, the occasional termination or resignation can he healthy for an organization. However, many companies are seeing people leave at a faster pace than normal, and they may not know why. When asked, it seems everyone has their theories, but does the data support that?

But Why?

Developing attrition metrics by conducting exit interviews allows you to compile factual data on why people are leaving your organization, which takes out any guess work or overgeneralizations. What if you could have just tweaked one little thing and kept that employee? In some cases, it’s not just one reason people leave, but a combination of factors. Don’t you want to know what it is we could be fixing to retain your fantastic teammates? To learn more about how exit interviews can make a difference in your organization’s culture, see our post here.

Metrics, Metrics, Metrics

The first step in upping your exit interview game is to define your goals. What information do you want to capture? Are you prepared to take action with the feedback? How does your organization define positive and negative attrition? And finally, what do you want your attrition level to be?  Ultimately, “zero” may be unrealistic or unattainable.

Skywalk Group has multiple options to choose from when considering outsourcing your exit interview process! Our exit interview clients receive their metrics in the form of a report upon the completion of each exit interview. Additionally, they have live access to a statistical dashboard reflecting the overall themes and data gathered for both the participating supervisors and the exiting employees, should they so choose.

Going Third-Party

Exit interviews conducted by someone internally can be helpful, but when an objective, third-party steps in, the feedback comes out in an unfiltered and comfortable manner. Above all, it’s important to customize the questions and style of your third-party representatives so the information gathered correlates with each organization’s unique employment experience. This interview can also be seen as the last interaction with someone who may be an advocate for your organization out in the community. Let’s those representatives sing your praises and end the relationship on a good note!

Which Exit Interview Option is Right for You?

Bronze: The Data-Driven Approach

The Bronze Approach Includes:

·        Employee online survey; results are collected by a neutral third party

·        Live metrics and dashboard

*The value of this option is that it is quick, live, and empirical. No humans or subjectivity to get in the way of the results.

Silver: Putting the “Human” in HR

The Silver Approach Includes:

·        Live employee phone interview conducted by an external HR professional

·        Customized Exit Interview Report for each participant

 *The value of this option is that employees get to speak with an unknown, empathetic third-party they can trust. This human-to-human connection allows the consultant to ask follow-up questions when necessary.

Gold: The Two-Pronged Approach

The Gold Approach Includes:

·        Employee online survey; results are collected by a neutral third party

·        Live metrics and dashboard

·        Live employee phone interview conducted by an external HR professional

·        Customized exit interview report for each participant

*The value of this option is collecting both unfiltered feedback via the independent and the innate/intuitive feedback coming from your consultant (for example, “They also shared with me…”).

Platinum: The Strategic Approach

The Platinum Approach Includes:

·        Employee online survey; results are collected by a neutral third party

·        Live metrics and dashboard

·        Live employee phone interview conducted by an external HR professional

·        Customized exit interview report for each participant

+     Supervisory survey for performance, rehire, and blacklisting metrics

*The value of this approach is learning what the employee has to share, while also taking into consideration the experience the manager and overall organization had in their relationship with the employee.

What’s Our Secret?

By working with a third-party, employees are more likely to open up about their real experiences with their former employer, good or bad! Another reason Skywalk Group is successful in exit interviews is because we offer so many different options! We start by strategizing on our metrics, goals and definitions, and then we decide which level makes sense for each organization. In some cases, we want human-to-human interaction, and in some cases surveys work better. In many, the supervisor feedback is critical, while in others, we already have performance reviews with this information. What works best for you?

Let us help you define your needs and up your exit interview game! For more information, email hr@skywalkgroup.com. We’ll help you up your exit interview game today!

By Samantha Rogers