Exit interviews: Get more honest feedback by conducting them online
Determining why employees leave is one key to taming turnover.
Employers often use exit interviews to identify the answer. But departing employees are often uncomfortable opening up to management. As a result, information may be inaccurate.
Here’s an alternative: Conduct exit interviews using online surveys. Consider the following factors:
Pros
Anonymity and confidentiality. It’s easier for some to believe privacy promises if they aren’t answering live questions or filling out a survey at work.
Increased participation rates. Online services claim their participation rates are higher than the average 30% to 35% for traditional exit interviews.
Consistency. Many employers frequently change their questions and don’t analyze the results objectively. Online surveys allow you to standardize and analyze the same questions to all ex-staff.
Time savings. Managers and HR no longer have to schedule, conduct and collate the results of exit interviews.
Cons
Scheduling. It can be more difficult to contact employees and obtain an online exit interview after they leave the company.
Confidentiality. Some departing employees may not trust the privacy of online information and decline to participate or give less-than-honest answers.
Resources: Online surveys
Several online exit interview services are available. Here’s a sampling.
• LastOpinion offers a free 30-day trial of exit-interview surveys, and packages include up to $19 a month for up to 15 departing employees per year.
• Grapevine Surveys offers a template library to create your own exit surveys. Packages include $995 for up to 3,000 survey responses a year.
• Survey Monkey offers a free, 21-question exit survey template.