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Exit Interviews Offer Invaluable Insight for Improving Employee Engagement, Retention

Exit interviews with departing employees are often conducted in a perfunctory, haphazard manner. But, an employee’s last words can provide valuable insights into hospital culture, dysfunction and opportunities to do better at retaining top talent. Exit interviews can help nip employee turnover in the bud by finding the root of the problem while leaving hospitals stronger and more attuned to employees' needs and morale.

However, feedback is not useful from just one, or even sporadic, exit interviews. It’s necessary to speak with each departing employee in order to identify trends that point to chronic or systemic weaknesses in the organization’s retention management. For this reason, it is important to design effective exit interview protocols and administer them consistently.

History shows that time, infrastructure and technology were common barriers to conducting exit interviews. But today, computer-based interview systems have revamped the traditional understanding of exit interviews. Computer-based systems enable respondents to provide honest feedback without fear of retribution or strained interaction. The systems also ease the burden of organization and data-aggregation for hospitals, which would otherwise have to record data into spreadsheets and files.

All too often, exit interview responses are simply filed away with the employee’s profile, to be used only if litigation looms later. However, it is vital to track employee answers, look for long-term trends and take action to correct mistakes or improve areas in which management excels. Exit interviews help retain staff, but only if you listen and take action to correct employee frustrations. The Center’s business affiliate, CHAMPS Human Resources, offers an exit interview service that can streamline the exit interview process and cull valuable information from departing employees.