Exit Interview Surveys

Studies show evidence that Exit Interview Surveys are subject to information distortion, particularly in an exit interview conducted by management at the time of separation. Researchers have identified reasons for information distortion. Among these are: · The exiting employee may fear retribution from the management interviewer or fear that negative information from the manager may reach the new employer. · The employee may perceive the interview as too personal or believe that the managers conducting the exit interview do not care. · The interviewee may believe that the interviewer may exact retribution on remaining fellow employees based on information. · Exiting personnel do not want to discuss uncomfortable material. Many Exit Interview Survey problems can be traced to the lack of an overarching, clearly articulated perspective on the process. Exit Interview Survey instruments have lacked a clear purpose, and as a result were unable to fulfill nebulous expectations. An Exit Interview must be methodologically sound, responsive to an organization’s multi-faceted diagnostic and developmental data needs, be based on an identifiable purpose, and designed to assess specific problems and identify new opportunities.