Employee turnover isn’t just inconvenient and potentially damaging to your reputation; it’s expensive. According to FT.com, replacing an employee can cost up to 200% of their annual salary, depending on the skills and responsibilities. In short, employee retention is something that organizations can’t afford not to do. Here’s what you need to ask – and why.
Understanding workplace culture and strengthening your brand
Exit interviews give you a chance to take a deeper dive into your culture, daily operations, and overall morale. Employees who are leaving are generally more inclined to be candid about their experience, allowing you to uncover strengths and areas for improvement.
It’s also an opportunity for you as an employer to demonstrate your commitment to your workforce by welcoming open and honest feedback. If your employee is leaving under a cloud, you have the opportunity to clear the air so that they’ll walk away feeling positive.
Exit interviews aren't just a damage limitation exercise; they let your current and prospective staff know that you care and want to support talent where possible.
Questions to ask:
- How would you describe the company environment and culture during your time here?
- Did you feel valued and recognized for your contribution?
- Would you recommend this organization to a friend seeking employment? Why?
- What would you tell others about your experience working here?
Top Available Tech Jobs in North America
Uncovering management process issues
An exit interview is your opportunity to uncover managerial practices and operational processes that may be contributing to employee dissatisfaction. You don’t want to encourage departing staff members to gossip about previous managers and team members, but if there are underlying issues, exit interviews could be your chance to uncover them.
By being completely clear about the content and nature of exit interview questions, it’s possible to get important information from departing employees without the remaining staff feeling paranoid or untrusted. Rather than framing the exit interview as a way of calling people out right as they leave the company, position it as an opportunity to identify organizational challenges and opportunities for development and training.
Questions to ask:
- How would you describe your relationship with your manager and other senior management?
- Were you provided with clear guidance, goals, and support?
- What could have been done to support you better?
Understanding the motivation to move
Someone leaving an organization isn’t necessarily a negative thing; they may have run out of opportunities to develop, or they may be coming to the end of a temporary contract. But by understanding why someone is leaving, you can identify patterns and root causes of employee departures, which can, in turn, help you to develop strategies to support employee retention.
Whatever their reason for leaving, an exit interview gives you the chance to see what else is out there; the things that attracted your staff to go to a different organization may well be tactics that you can employ yourself. From hiring great recruiters to flexible working or welcome bonuses, uncovering top recruitment tips as part of the exit interview process is a bonus.
Questions to ask:
- What prompted you to start looking for a new job?
- Where did you see your new role advertised?
- What part of the recruitment process made you certain that you wanted the role?
- What attracted you to the organization and role?
Safeguarding against legal risks
Exit interviews aren’t just about strengthening internal processes, morale, and reputation. They can help to protect your organization, too. By having a frank and open discussion before an individual leaves, you can address and identify latent legal issues by uncovering grievances or unfair practices before they escalate.
By listening to grievances and proactively resolving them, it’s possible to mitigate litigation risks. If you have concerns that there may be a risk of grievance or malpractice, make sure that you’ve got a professional to support you through the process to ensure that your actions are compliant with relevant legislation.
Questions to ask (consult your tech recruiter or HR department for guidance):
- Do you feel that you have been treated fairly while working here?
- Were you ever subject to or witness to any unfair treatment, harassment, or discrimination?
- Did you feel safe reporting concerns?
Improving your workplace and recruitment process
Exit interview questions can help you identify practices and benefits that may attract the right talent to fill tech roles within your organization and uncover potential issues. They can also help you determine whether your recruitment process offers adequate clarity about what roles entail.
By identifying any aspects of the job or the organization that didn’t align with employee expectations, you will be able to refine job descriptions and communication throughout the recruitment process to ensure that you attract the right candidates.
Questions to ask:
- Was the role what you expected based on the job description and interview?
- Were there any mismatches between what was promised and what was delivered?
Taking the time to thank exiting employees, make them feel valued and heard is mutually rewarding, allowing the employee to move on with positive association, and you as the employer to gain a deeper perspective on what works well within your workforce, and what needs to be developed.
If you’re having trouble hiring and keeping the right tech talent, contact us to see how we can help.
Download Motion Recruitment's Tech Salary Guide
