When an employee leaves a company, an exit interview form can help the company determine why the employee left and whether those reasons will affect current or future employees. An exit interview form is either a questionnaire filled out by the departing employee or a list of interview questions that the interviewer will ask of the departing employee. The exit interview form is a useful tool for employers in either case.
An exit interview form’s purpose is to determine all of the factors that contributed to an employee’s decision to leave the company. This includes, among other things, the reasons for a different job search, the availability of training or advancement, how well the employee got along with supervisors and coworkers, whether the employee felt the compensation was adequate, and how much fun the employee had at work. An exit interview form with a valuable employee can help determine if there are any circumstances under which the employee might reconsider his or her decision. In order to reduce employee turnover, the company must also try to determine if there are any circumstances that are affecting other current employees.
Participation in an exit interview should be voluntary, and if an employee is uncomfortable with the interview process, an alternative questionnaire should be provided. When an employee is not face-to-face with a company representative, he or she is more likely to be forthcoming with information. Also, the person conducting the exit interview should not be the employee’s current boss. If the interview is conducted by an objective third party, the employee may feel more comfortable disclosing information about his or her current working conditions. In fact, the employee’s current boss may be the driving force behind the decision, which the employee must feel comfortable disclosing to others.
Exit interview questions are typically simple and straightforward, and the exit interview should be quick and painless for the departing employee. Frequently, the employer wishes to make a positive impression on the employee and demonstrate that it is concerned about the reasons for departure. When a large corporation takes the time to interview a single departing employee, the employee may feel as if he or she was a significant contributor to the company as a whole.
Exit interview form analysis can be as simple as a discussion among managers, or it can be a more scientific procedure of data analysis. There may be entire jobs dedicated to the analysis of this data in large, complex companies. Employers who are skilled at exit interviews may discover a gold mine of information that will help them better manage their current employees.