Exit interviews can improve company operations

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However, according to area business consultants, smart human resource managers will realize it's a perfect opportunity to glean information about the way their companies do business.

The exit interview, according to consultant Eileen Goode with Goode Solutions, gives organizations a bird's-eye view into what went wrong and how the organization can make positive changes, possibly avoiding more resignations.

"The primary reason a company does exit interviews is twofold," said Goode, whose company specializes in interim business recruiting services in Madison. "It's a discovery tool for organizational improvement and manager feedback. It also promotes a positive culture that you are empathetic to your employees and value their feedback."

According to recent statistics released by the Saratoga Institute, a human resources analysis organization, 20 percent of employees will leave a company without having another job or another offer.

Eighty-nine percent of managers think employees leave because of compensation, but in reality nearly 90 percent of employees say they leave because of a job's content, poor management or workload.

And, according to Eve Scheffenacker, principal of ByWord, a consulting firm in Madison, all of the "real" reasons employees quit are within an organization's control.

"Right there you've got a huge disconnect," Scheffen-acker said. "So, assuming a company seriously did exit interviews and chose to act on some of the information they got, they could identify internal problems � uneven workload or poor communication � and they can fix that. The other good reason for doing exit interviews is so the employer can get some realistic information about what specific job positions are like when you're really doing them."

Both Goode and Scheffenacker offered six key questions to ask in an exit interview:

•  What has been frustrating, difficult or upsetting to you in your time with us?

•  How would you describe the culture or feel of our organization?

•  What would you say about communications and relations between departments? How could those be improved?

•  When did you first start thinking about leaving?

•  What is stronger � your disappointment with the company or with your job?

•  Would you ever consider coming back?

Paul Salm, the senior human resources manager with CUNA Mutual Group, said the Madison insurance company has benefited from exit interviews.

"I've found open-ended questions like, 'If you were CEO of our company, what would you do differently?' and 'What were the three or four best (or worst) things about your work experience here?' lead to the most meaningful feedback," Salm said.

Scheffenacker added that once a human resources manager has collected data from several interviews, it's important to report the findings.

"In some cases if it's a specific job or manager (that's been a problem), then management has to be willing to follow up," she said. "If one person complains, it might be just that person, but if two or three people are turning over, then you need to perk up."

"Human resources has to be tied in to higher level of management to follow through," Scheffenacker said. "If you've got a problem, you need to take care of it."