There are many reasons why employees leave, which include:-
• more pay
• Benefits
• family problems
• travel difficulties etc.
If an employer can find out the true reasons, it may be possible to retain staff by improving the terms of their contract or their working conditions. When an employee tenders their resignation the employer should check to ensure that the resignation has not been prompted by an unresolved grievance and does not relate to a matter which could give rise to a constructive dismissal situation. It is also an opportunity to see if there is anything that the company can do for the employee in order to retain them. It is important that an employer learns lessons from the exit interview and applies them to future recruitment practices and current employment conditions.
The following guidance on how to conduct the interview should prove helpful:-
• ensure that your interview is scheduled with the employee in a confidential room. It is important that the room layout is informal to provide a comfortable atmosphere and relaxed environment.
• the interviewer should start by explaining that the purpose of the interview is to improve the organisation's performance, that the employee's help is needed and that the discussion will be totally confidential;
• the information gained at the interview should relate to the employer's business and not to the new post the employee is going to; and
• a record of the interview should be made and related to findings from previous interviews.
• If the atmosphere within the interview is awkward or difficult and you feel it may be due to issues between you and the employee, it may be prudent to reschedule the interview with another person to conduct it.
Review
Before the employee's last day of work the employer should ensure that the notice period is correct in contractual terms, that any outstanding loans and company property in the employee's possession are recovered, that final payments, holiday pay etc., due to the employee are calculated correctly and the form P45 is produced or in hand. If the employer looks back over the application form and interview rating, pointers may be seen which were missed when the selection was carried out. Finally, the employer should estimate the cost of recruiting and training a replacement member of staff and see if money could have been saved by meeting the needs expressed by the employee or by more careful recruiting procedures.
