While it's important to gather input from an exiting employee, it's also helpful to collect feedback from current employees who may have insights into an exiting employee's reasons for leaving.
In this article:
Overview
Traditionally, Exit surveys and interviews are conducted between the exiting employee and a team member from Human Resources. While it's important to gather input from an exiting employee, it's also helpful to collect feedback from current employees who may have insights into an exiting employee's reasons for leaving.
Think of the exit interview process as a 360 Feedback session. To get the full story, why rely on just one voice?
Voluntary Exits
Exiting Employee
While important, focusing solely on the exiting employee will likely only provide a portion of the full story, for several reasons:
- Exiting employees typically don't want to burn bridges on their way out of the organization, so they may resist providing critical feedback regardless of how much the organization might welcome it
- If an exit is particularly emotional or difficult, exiting employees may not want to relive the uncomfortable emotions and experience
- If an employee is leaving because of frustrations around being misheard, misunderstood, or overlooked, why should that change now?
Immediate Manager
Consider including the exiting employee's manager for information on the employee's performance, e.g. Are we losing a top performer? Or did the employee struggle to meet expectations?
If the manager held regular 1-on-1s with the employee, they should have a strong understanding of the employee's performance and other possible factors that may have led to their exit.
Teammates
Individuals who worked with the exiting employee under the same immediate manager may also have insight into additional underlying factors.
Teammates may be privy to work-life balance challenges, dissatisfaction with work, culture, or benefits, or may be aware of additional interests the employee is pursuing, i.e. new role, higher education, etc.
Peers
The close friends or employees from the same cohort may be unaware of performance, but may understand the personal reasons that led to the employee's exit, e.g. their spouse is pursuing a job in another city, etc. Additionally, the employee's peers may have been aware of the impending exit long before it occurred, maybe there was a specific event that led to their exit or they had been hinting at leaving for an extended amount of time.
Direct Reports
Employees reporting directly to the exiting individual are often the most affected but may be the last to know. They can also have unique insight into their manager's performance and burnout-related stressors.
Including direct reports in the exit process can help the organization prepare for the transition, as they may be interested in the role, know a qualified candidate, or offer input on how the role should evolve.
Involuntary Exits
As a general tip, don't seek feedback from an exiting employee when their exit was involuntary.
The following are scenarios in which to avoid requesting feedback.
Positions with High Turnover
If a position is known to have high turnover, gathering regular feedback may not be practical.
For example, if a call center has a 100% annual turnover and an average tenure of nine months, collecting feedback would exhaust and overwhelm employees. Instead, use Exit surveys and interviews in key moments, e.g. when a high-performing supervisor or a long-tenured employee leaves. Reserve feedback requests for key moments to yield more valuable, actionable insight.
Unique Circumstances
Did a unique circumstance lead to the exit, i.e. death, serious injury, etc.? In these rare sensitive cases, it's important to consider what's best for the employee's family and the well-being of the exiting employee before requesting exit feedback. Offer one-on-one, in-person conversations for employees who may need support coping with the situation.
Lay-Offs & Reductions in Force
Was the exit due to a layoff or reduction in force(RIF)? While unfortunate, RIFs and layoffs may be necessary. In these cases, it's best not to seek feedback from current employees immediately. However, it's important to communicate openly about the RIF, including the reasons for it, and next steps to provide clarity and reassurance to the current employees.