How Exit Interview Surveys Can Help You Prevent the Next Resignation

08/27/2019 - Cascade Environmental

With the national unemployment rate trending at all-time lows, it hasn’t gotten any easier for companies in environmental services to recruit. However, it has highlighted the impact good employees make, and the hit we take when they choose to leave for other opportunities. If someone has turned in their two weeks’ notice, there may not be much you can do to keep that individual, but it’s the perfect time to learn how you can prevent other employees from leaving, too. Exit interview surveys are vitally important in assessing trends and challenges your current workforce faces. The answers provided allow management to correct any issues that may have flown under the radar, improve morale, and increase employee engagement and retention.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AN EXIT INTERVIEW SURVEY?

Some companies avoid exit interviews or exit surveys because they don’t want negative feedback. While that is understandable, it leaves a huge opportunity for improvement on the table. With exit interview surveys, you can glean…

How you are doing regarding transparent communication, morale and training and development
Why tenured employees are leaving, how that impacts everyone else, and the type of employment opportunities they are seeking
Why new employees are choosing to leave, and improvements that could be made to prevent others from doing so
How your benefits package compares to the company employees are leaving for
How employees perceive the culture, work environment and leadership of your organization

WHAT ARE BEST PRACTICES FOR HANDLING SURVEY RESULTS?

For your team to provide honest feedback, not only do you have to take it seriously, but you must also communicate how you’re doing so. A few tips for both:

Ensure results remain anonymous to solicit as much honesty as possible
Redact unique identifiers such as date of separation, date of survey taken, employee location, date of hire and job title
Share feedback regularly in a timely manner to stakeholders impacted by the results
Review policies, processes and programs mentioned that could be improved upon
Make sure the questions posed are open ended and allow those responding to voice their perspectives or thoughts

People may be reluctant to share information, especially if the information is sensitive and could be perceived as negative. To get past that reluctance, show gratitude for the employee who is leaving and still choosing to help make the workplace better for coworkers he or she leaves behind. One way to do that is to give a small gift, as a token of appreciation for their time and honest feedback (this is what we do at Cascade).