What is an Exit Survey and How to Create One?

The end of the employment relationship usually is a process a little inconvenient for businesses. After all, we are talking about talent that will have to be replaced. Despite the trouble it implies, there are some positives conclusions that can be drawn from that situation and you can even get to improve some aspects of your human resources management. That is possible thanks to the an employee  exit survey. 

Have you heard about those? In general, these are not used by most organizations, but they surely can offer positive results. Here we show you what is an exit survey and some of the questions it must have. 

What is an exit survey? 

Exit surveys are the best tool to know what causes employees to leave an organization. Since these are filled by people who is about to leave, they can offer first hand valuable information that helps to identify possible flaws in the human resources management and make the organization a better place to work. 

This process can take different forms according to the company’s needs. For instance, it’s possible to opt for an employee exit interview, which usually is made by people in the area of Human Resources. However, it is also possible to choose an exit questionnaire for employees either with a virtual or physical form. 

Also, privacy is a relevant variable when it comes to exit surveys. If you choose to use an exit interview, it’s best to conduct it in a private space apart from the rest of the personnel. Whether it is a questionnaire or an interview, confidentiality will help you get more sincere answers. 

Importance of exit surveys 

1. Decrease turnover rate 

The main objective for conducting an employee exit survey is knowing the causes for employees leaving the company. Once these causes are identified, it is possible to take the necessary actions and to improve relevant aspects for collaborators. As a result, the turnover rate drops and you get to save time and money. 

2. Better hiring 

Also, knowing the reason candidates have for leaving is useful to find possible mistakes in the way you attract talent. It’s possible that the person didn’t find what he or she was expecting from the position. This proves to be especially useful if workers leave certain position shortly after entering the organization. 

3. A better ending for the employment relationship 

Also, when the employees have been discharged, they often can have some negative feelings about the organization. That may cause some people to speak poorly about the company. An employee exit survey provides the perfect medium through which the discharged employees can express themselves, let the frustration out, to feel listened and give the employment relationship a better ending. 

You might like: 4 Actions that Can Help You Optimize your Employee Retention Strategies 

Exit survey questions 

The best way to create an employee exit survey is dividing it by categories. These must cover the most relevant variables for collaborators in the company. This is a basic structure for the survey with some questions you can take as reference. 

1. Questions about the cause 

First, you need to understand the reason the employee is leaving the company. You need to know if it was caused by an internal event or due to a person working for the organization. If you don’t get to the heart of the matter, it could turn into a recurrent issue. These are questions you have to ask: 

• Why are you leaving the organization? 
• What do you think we could have done to make you stay in the position? 

2. Questions about the position 

These questions aim to improve the characteristics of the position for the next employees. Some of the questions you must ask are: 

• How easy was it for you to adapt to the position? 
• What do you think are the most challenging aspect of the position? 
• What is your perception about the workload in the position? 
• Do you think the salary is the right for the position? 
• Do you thing the job description in the add was correct? 

3. Questions about the work environment 

Here the objective is to know if the work environment represent a problem for employees and how could it be improved. Some of the questions you must include are: 

• Does the work environment promote a good performance? 
• Do you think the work place offered the necessary safety measures? 
• Did you always had the right equipment and tools to perform your regular tasks? 
• Do you think the company values reflect correctly in the work environment? 
• What do you think must be changed to have a better work environment? 

4. Questions about coworkers, supervisors and managers 

Finally, these questions aim to know if the way people interact inside the organization is correct. Some of the questions you must include are: 

• What were your main challenges while working with your supervisor or manager? 
• Were your ideas or feedback taken into account by your supervisor or manager? 
• Have you ever been discriminated by a coworker, supervisor or manager? 
• Have you ever been harassed by a coworker, supervisor or manager? 
• Did you have problems with coworkers, supervisors or managers? 

Now you know employee exit surveys and some of the questions it must have. Make this a standard practice and you will be able to identify different aspects you can improve in your organization. 

At Talent2Win, we strive to align your company’s business objectives with the best Talent Acquisition strategies available. If you want to learn more about the services we offer, do not hesitate to contact us.