Wrapping up your last few days in the office after handing in your notice is usually full of meetings, drinks, the obligatory handover and, for some, taking time out to speak to a member of HR for an exit interview.
I should know – after only a short employment, I gave in my notice to my manager. When emailing the usual formalities of terminating an employment contract to my HR department, I asked if I could have an exit interview.
When I was thinking about leaving, I had confided in some of my work friends who had already made the move and asked whether they had been offered a last chat with HR. Not one of them said that they had and most followed this up by saying that, even though they had had grievances, they weren’t fussed about airing them, an attitude which surprised me. When I delved a little deeper into this mentality, I discovered that most of my friends weren’t aware what an exit interview entailed – the sort of questions they would be asked and how their responses would be used. It turns out that they aren’t alone, so without further ado, here is your foolproof guide to exit interviews.
What is an exit interview?
As I’m sure you’ve guessed from the giveaway moniker, exit interviews are conducted just before a member of staff leaves an organisation. They are usually initiated and led by an experienced member of your HR department or, in some cases, your line manager.
But what do they cover? This can of course depend on the type of work you have been doing and the department you sit within but in general you’ll be asked about your reasons for leaving, grievances, and positive aspects of your time within the organisation, as well as opinions on matters such as compensation, benefits and working conditions.
Some organisations, however, take a more detailed approach and will ask your opinion on “things such as: effectiveness of communications, leadership style, culture and efficiency of process” says Janice Haddon, Managing Director of Morgan Redwood and Thrive in Life 360. So basically, they can range from a pretty general "How did we do?" to a more detailed "But how did we really do?"
Are they mandatory?
While companies are not legally obligated to conduct exit interviews, they are considered “best practice” says Janice.
If you aren’t keen on taking up the offer of one, then remember that they aren’t mandatory. Before settling on a decision as to whether or not you want one, you should assess what personal benefit you will get out of it and perhaps ask your HR department how they will use the information gained.
If you aren’t asked whether you would like one and you would like to speak to someone about your experience before you leave, be assertive and request one like I did. No harm done.
How confidential are they?
Perhaps my biggest worry when going into my exit interview was the issue of confidentiality. I had some grievances that I wanted to share about managerial processes and behaviours and I worried that my commentary may come back to haunt me. Before we started the interview I made sure to ask Lucy*, my HR manager, about the level of anonymity I would be granted before delving in too deeply. She informed me that the business collated information from exit interviews every few months and this information was then anonymised before being fed back to individuals it concerned and the senior management team. My comments would also only be fed back to management after I left, which meant that they wouldn’t cloud the judgement of my managers when they were producing my reference. While this information was enough to satisfy my worries and is, generally speaking, standard practice across the board, Janice says that there is no set rule that exit interviews have to be held in the strictest of confidence.
“While the employee may value the discretion of what is said, the organisation may need to use specifics from the interview to consider making changes within the business. However, an employee can ask that the matters discussed remain confidential or be anonymised when reported back to senior management,” she says.
Generally, the information obtained from an exit interview will be reported in the form of statistics. For example, your company may want an analysis of why people are leaving, so the HR department will report on the percentage of people leaving for a new job opportunity, for a higher salary or because of lack of advancement and challenge. So it’s rare that information will be passed onto your colleagues at all, never mind with your name attached to it.
Are there any dos and don'ts?
Like with most things in life, preparation is key.
As I knew I had some sensitive points to make, I spent a fair amount of time beforehand making notes and deciding what I should prioritise, what didn’t need saying, and making a list of pros and cons about my job.
Georgie Gayler, now a Social Media Director at LocaSocial, did the same: “I’ve always had an idea of what I wanted to say before I went in to an exit interview, whether it be positive or negative. The positives are always easy; I’ve considered who I want to give credit to. Negative points are more difficult to bring up. If I’m leaving a company for a particular reason, I’ve always considered how to best approach this in an exit interview.”
Luckily for me, prior to my interview, Lucy sent over a list of questions which would form the foundation of our chat and I used these to shape how I would approach each issue I wanted to raise. However, this isn’t general practice, according to Janice. If you aren’t sent any questions as a guide beforehand, try and anticipate what you may be asked in order to prepare. Questions should range from the very basic "Why are you leaving?" to the more challenging "What did you dislike most about your job?"
Making notes beforehand will help to ensure that you speak about your experience accurately and without exaggeration and, ultimately, will help you to remain professional throughout. Try to summarise negative experiences in a couple of sentences, rather than letting a rambling "he said, she said" monologue dominate your interview, and never let personal feelings about someone infiltrate your narrative. Telling your HR manager that you simply don’t like your manager won’t do any good for you or them.
While it may be tempting to go out in a blaze of glory, try to keep in mind that you may end up working with some of your colleagues again in a different setting. Burning bridges is never a good idea and will only harm you.
It is also important that, even if you have had an overall negative experience, you try to find some positives in your experience at a company. Give credit where credit is due and namecheck those who deserve praise, as it could help them achieve a coveted promotion. Even if it is just thanking the company for the quarterly drinks or for equipping you with the pens and pencils you needed to do your job.
How honest should you really be?
“It is a [difficult] balancing act,” agrees Janice. “Some people decide that, since they are leaving, they can speak candidly about the reasons behind that decision. Others simply do not want to burn bridges unnecessarily. Generally speaking, it is best for individuals to be as honest as they can without divulging confidential information, slandering co-workers or impugning a person’s reputation. If there are criticisms, it is always best to provide the information with tact and professionalism.”
Georgie agrees that honesty is the best policy: “I feel like exit interviews are, or should be, a chance to be selfish and selfless. It gives you the opportunity to be honest about your experiences, but also give suggestions on what changes could be made to improve your colleagues' experiences.
"[With] one particular company I had two to three points I knew I both wanted and needed to raise for the sake of current and future employees. They were difficult points to get across but I know that the employer appreciated the honesty, and was also surprised at some of the points that I raised. It wasn’t an easy experience but it is the exit interview I look back on and hope made the biggest difference.”
During mine, I was tempted to sugar-coat some of my more negative points but I reminded myself that there was no point asking for an exit interview if I wasn’t going to say what I had psyched myself up to say. So I took a deep breath and divulged, albeit treading carefully.
What is the benefit to the company and to you?
Rachel Carrell, the CEO of tech company Koru Kids, believes that the information gained from a leaver's interview can be indispensable. “For any workplace that is serious about continuous improvement, ‘the untarnished truth’ is a very valuable thing! You’re most likely to hear ‘the truth’ about how people feel when they are on their way out, if you’ve given them a safe time and place.
“Of course you should be doing all of this long before anyone leaves, but no matter how much you try to create a culture of honesty and transparency, there will be some people who are only emboldened to tell you things when they leave.
“Exit interviews are a great chance to ask employees about what could have been better about the culture, strategy and organisational structure of a company. They're also a time to celebrate what the employee has achieved, and ensure they leave on a high note.”
Janice agrees: “Upon analysis of information gained from an exit interview, companies can consider making the appropriate adjustments, especially if there appears to be a commonality among the reasons. For example, their compensation and benefits may be lacking in comparison to their competitors, or there may be issues of leadership in certain areas of the business.”
But what if you highlight an issue which needs to be rectified? “If an interview does highlight a specific issue in parts of the organisation or with leadership style or culture, these should be seriously reviewed and appropriate action taken… Exit interviews are not something that should just pay lip service,” says Janice.
While exit interviews are a valid practice that should be utilised by all companies, the HR department should have an open-door policy, to encourage staffers to mark up any issues before they leave. This way, they can move towards rectifying a situation sooner and improving the experiences of their staff before anyone is pushed to hand in their notice.
To put it plainly, an exit interview can help to effect change in a company. So far, I know that comments I made in mine, coupled with similar sentiments voiced by current employees, encouraged the company to invest in management training – a positive move that should improve the experiences of the next wave of employees and, ultimately, signals that the company is trying to right its wrongs. While I may not be around to see this change happen, I still think it's a job well done on my part, and it has cemented in my mind that an exit interview is a worthwhile pursuit.
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