Exit interviews

Some useful principles for planning an exit interview or survey are:

• Universal – interviewing all voluntary leavers provides a more complete understanding of turnover.
• Consistent – using a core set of standardised  questions ensures comparability throughout the organisation and across time.
• Comprehensive – the decision to leave can involve an interaction of several issues, some immediate events, others attitudes and perceptions unfolding over time. Including feedback on the culture, attitudes and leadership in addition to immediate reasons for leaving increases usefulness in determining strategies to reduce turnover.
• Independent and confidential–. Employees may wish the interview to be conducted out of their management chain and to remain confidential.  This should not preclude the data from the interview being used anonymously as part of aggregate data for the whole organisation.
• Available – Make the data provided by exit interviews available to as many peole as possible.  This will increases the likelihood of the findings being used to inform strategy and planning.  
• Monitored and utilised– its not worth doing exit interviews unless the information is used to develop strategies and targets for the reduction of turnover.