For the most part, turnover should be avoided like the plague. The cost of turnover is astounding, as the total cost of voluntary turnover in the U.S. is more than $536 billion per year. And it can take up to two years for a new employee to reach the same productivity levels as the exiting employee.
Unfortunately, turnover is a reality that can't always be avoided. And in the event that one of your employees decides to head for greener pastures, you need to discover why they're leaving and how you can prevent their coworkers from doing the same.
This is where the exit interview comes in. If you move past the stale, boilerplate questions and start making inquiries that really get to the heart of the departure, you can uncover insights that will help you retain employees in the future.
This blog lists some of the most common exit survey questions, then revises them to invite more honest, comprehensive answers.
Why have you decided to leave this company?
What do you value about this company?
What did you dislike about your job?
How was your relationship with your manager?
Were you satisfied with the leadership of this organization?
Your employee exit survey questions should invite honest answers that’ll give you the insight your organization needs in order to reduce voluntary turnover. Swap out your age-old (dare I say worthless?) exit survey questions for ones that’ll help you uncover the real reason why your employees are leaving.
Asking the right questions is just one element of an effective exit survey strategy. What else do you need to know? Download our our free guide, How to Conduct an Exit Survey, to get the whole story.