Canadian HR Reporter

Discover new ideas and strategies to advance your workplace and career at the 56 th Annual HR Conference + Tradeshow 2018, Western Canada's largest HR event. CPHRBC.CA/conference Registration now open WE AS KE D, YO U AN SWE R E D. . . "What is the most valuable aspect of the exit interview?" Gerry Meyer, CPHR Principal, LEC HR Advisory Vancouver, BC "I see no reason for doing an exit interview (EI). They are a waste of time — no employee is going to be completely honest or open because they don't care or don't want to burn any bridges." This was said to me once by a manager when I suggested we conduct an EI for a departing employee who was, by all accounts, an engaged and top performer with a clear future. I asked the manager, who led the marketing group, if they surveyed customers who stopped buying our product. They did. So, what is so different between under- standing why a customer left from why an employee left? Conducting effective exit interviews is an art. The core intent is to understand why the employee decided to leave — what was missing from their current role that led them to consider opportunities elsewhere? Keep in mind, if you're already at the exit interview stage, the company has failed. Given that focus, the most valuable aspect of any EI is not the result or information collected, but what the company does with it. What does the feedback identify as areas for improve- ment or rethink — especially in regards to retaining top performing and high-potential employees? Natalie Michael, CPHR CEO & Executive Coach, Waterfront Partners Vancouver, BC In an organization it can be tricky for people to be fully authentic about their views and needs. The rank, politics and power can get in the way of people truly sharing. This may be a bi-product of organizational culture, broken trust, or it can be a personal tendency to avoid confl ict. I have found that exit interviews are often one last chance for people to express their viewpoint: to share what they truly think and feel about the organization, what worked for them and what didn't, and why they are leaving. People are often candid because they believe there are few consequences for their honesty. As an HR professional, this data can be gold, even if the experience of having people "dump and dash" is unpleasant. I believe the exit interview provides important data about culture and about high potential talent. Are the majority of the high potential talent leaving for the same reasons? Is the leadership team surprised by what they hear? What are the linkages between the exit interview data and the engagement surveys? These data links are the backbone of the talent strategy and it can indicate where the culture needs to evolve and where leadership training needs to focus. Sheh Shohajee, CPHR HR Consultant, Cormack Recruitment Ltd. Vancouver, BC Exit interviews are a valuable and cost- effective tool in helping employers understand why the employee is leaving and what the organization can do better. The most valuable aspect is that employers can then use the information to make improvements to the business, reduce turnover and boost morale. The exit interview can reveal pertinent feedback on working conditions, culture, leadership styles of managers and the effectiveness of internal policies and procedures. They can even shed light on any potential legal issues and provide data on the market competition, including compensation and benefi ts. It is also a great opportunity for the orga- nization to learn about their competitive advantage and what they do well. To help achieve this, the interviewer should be skillful, neutral and empa- thetic. The departing employee will be more honest and forthcoming if they feel like their contribution and sharing matters and understand how the infor- mation will be used and shared. The ultimate goal is to analyze the collected data and use it to address issues in the workplace. When used in conjunction with regular meaningful retention conversations with current employees, exit interviews can help retain high performers and ensure a departing employee remains a brand ambassador once they leave. Grant Stevens HR Director, KF Aerospace Kelowna, BC At KF Aerospace we generate a lot of important intelligence about our workplace, what impacts our retention levels (both on and off the job drivers), employee satisfaction and competitive prac tices. Our exit interviews provide great insight into training, workload, levels of respon- sibility, job frustrations, supervisor interaction, customer demands, pay, etc. We use that data to modify job respon- sibilities and organizational structure; improve job descriptions and adver- tisements; target more specifi c skills and/or behaviours; and improve overall selection to increase employee satisfac- tion and retention and reduce turnover. We also use them in conjunction with our employee engagement survey to truly understand employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention risk. Moreover, we review our exit interviews annually to identify trends. For example, we know the highest turnover risk is within the fi rst year of employment, particularly among people entering the aviation industry. In response, we imple- mented front line supervisor training and began doing stay interviews to reduce the turnover risk in this period. Supervisor, job fi t and family issues are the top three drivers of turnover for KF, so our interviews, selection and super- visory involvement have evolved to address those risks.

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