Conduct good exit interviews to learn about your business

Your employees work at your nursery because (among other things) they’re experienced, productive and reliable -- otherwise, you would’ve never offered them the job in the first place. As manager or owner of your business, you know clearly why you’ve hired someone. But do you know why that person leaves?

Unless you’ve laid them off or fired them, you may be left clueless as to the real reasons why people stop working at your nursery. Even if it’s your decision to let the people go, by way of firing or a layoff, they may have their side of the story to tell about why things didn’t work out. If leaving is their own doing, they may say it’s because they’ve found a higher-paying job, need to work fewer hours or have decided to go back to school. And maybe that’s the case. But many people won’t volunteer the true reasons why they’re moving on. And you may never find out -- unless you ask them.

Enter the exit interview. It’s the final, voluntary face-to-face meeting with employees upon their departure from your company. Done effectively, the conversation you have with them can reveal a more complete explanation for their leaving. Why bother, though, if they’re not going to be working for you anymore? Because doing so provides you with valuable information that can improve your business, helping you not only continue to retain your current employees, but also attract the best of the new ones.

Be in the know

For decades, businesses have conducted formal exit interviews with departing employees. If your nursery isn’t one of them, you’re not alone. Maybe you think everything is fine, assuming you’d hear about problems if they existed. Then again, you might fear facing those problems because then you’d have to admit to them and do something about it. And what if you don’t know what to do? Or you think there’s no one in your company who can resolve the problems effectively?

The answers you receive from your well-thought-out exit interview questions can tell you a lot that you wouldn’t know. You can learn whether that individual is leaving due to circumstances beyond your control, such as health problems or a spouse’s job transfer to another city. Or, you can find out that it’s something that possibly could’ve been prevented, such as boredom with job tasks or burnout. Keep asking, and you’ll also uncover your nursery’s strengths and weaknesses, and what you’re doing right and wrong with your employees and your company, in general.

While the exit interview offers a prime opportunity to learn how to improve your nursery, you should be asking all of your employees -- periodically and regularly -- for their opinions and suggestions. Remain open to impressions and insights about your company from others, especially those who have been a part of it by working there. The fact that you welcome possible criticism says that you’re confident with yourself and your business, and that you’re concerned about what your employees think (even those who are on their way out the door).

“In general, workers see exit interviews as a reflection of a positive and caring company culture,” said Dick Baggett, owner of RGB Human Resource Solutions in San Angelo, Texas. “The exit interview demonstrates your interest in, and gives value to, the person’s opinions. And if they’re leaving under friction, they’ll appreciate you giving them the opportunity to vent.”

10 steps to a successful interview

The exit interview can be one of the most rewarding experiences for you and departing employees, when you handle it right. That begins with letting them know that this final meeting is totally voluntary and confidential. Tell them why you want to meet and that you value their opinions. If they’re game, set up the meeting a couple of days before their last day of work in case they have further questions or comments before they actually leave.

For effective results during the exit interview, follow these 10 guidelines. Include them in your nursery’s written policies and procedures, so there’s consistency no matter who conducts these meetings.

1. Keep it private. Choose a quiet place away from other employees or distractions. There’s no need to tell any staff about the meeting or discuss its contents with people, before or afterwards.

2. Make it one-on-one. Let just one person conduct the exit interview sitting across from the employee, not behind a desk. This encourages a more intimate setting for the person to disclose feelings and information.

3. Create neutral ground. Select someone empowered to analyze input and make company changes and who hasn’t caused problems for the employee. Assure the employee that no negative consequences will result.

4. Start out easy. Begin with small talk. Then, gradually move into telling him that you’d like to explore why he’s leaving.

5. Tie up loose ends. If the employee has keys, equipment, tools or documents that belong to your company, now’s the time for them to turn those in. Make sure you’ve got everything back that you need.

6. Take notes. Assure the employee that your notes are for your use, only, to keep track of what he says so you can add it to the comments and suggestions from other employees. You want to look at trends, not specifics.

7. Listen actively. Let the person do most of the talking, and reassure him that you hear him, by occasionally nodding and rephrasing his words back to him. Remain unbiased and he’ll be more willing to reveal.

8. Be respectful. Honor the employee’s willingness to be candid or not. Don’t pressure him into responding differently or further than he’s comfortable with, or even to answer a given question at all.

9. Avoid conflict. If you disagree with something the employee says, tell him so but don’t be defensive. Resist the urge to react to any anger, or you may say something you regret.

10. Say goodbye gracefully. It’s OK to express disappointment that the person is leaving, but don’t use this time as your last attempt to try to talk him out of it and convince him to stay. Accept the situation, then thank him and wish him well.

Meanwhile, you may wonder how straight the employee is being with you. If the person doesn’t believe that his responses will remain confidential, he’s likely to resist being candid. Maybe he fears that the information he gives will be misinterpreted or misused. To encourage and receive honest answers, you have to generate and emit trust, empathy and a positive rapport.

“Research has shown that the employee’s immediate supervisor should not do the exit interview, or see the results,” Baggett said. “It’s usually better to have a neutral party conduct the meeting. Employees seem to open up more fully and honestly if they believe their responses will not hurt their chances of a good reference for a future job.”

After the exit

Once the employee has left your nursery, send him a thank-you note in appreciation for his comments and suggestions during the exit interview. As owner or manager of a small nursery, it may be you who reviews his input and applies that to your company. If your business is larger, the results should go to “a neutral party to analyze the information, and compile and pass on a final report to management as a trend issue, not as an individual-comment issue,” Baggett said.

Study the results of all of your exit interviews during a given quarter or year, and look at general similarities or trends. If you repeatedly see that there have been problems with a particular supervisor, or company policy or procedure related to benefits or training, for example, then take action-oriented steps to improve those areas.

View the exit interview as a catalyst for positive change in your company. Sure, no owner wants to lose an employee, regardless of the reasons for his leaving. But with an exit interview, you also gain something -- valuable insight about your business that may help prevent others from also saying goodbye.

Sample questions help dig for answers

To get the best responses during the exit interview, prepare a list of open-ended questions, such as:

* What is your main reason for leaving?

* Did anything trigger your decision to leave?

* What were you most satisfied with about working here?

* What were you most unsatisfied with?

* What were the high and low points of your job here?

* Did you receive enough training and supervision for your job?

* Did you receive enough support for and feedback of your performance?

* Were there any policies or procedures that you were unhappy with?

* What did you think of your pay and benefits?

* Did anyone in the company harass you or discriminate against you?

* Did you experience any other obstacles while working here?

* What suggestions for improvement do you have for the company?

* Was there anything that could’ve been done to prevent your leaving?

* Would you consider working for this company again in the future?

For more: Dick Baggett, RGB Human Resource Solutions, (325) 944-7015; www.dickbaggett.com.

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- Claire Sykes

Claire Sykes is a freelance business writer in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

May 2008