{"id":10045,"date":"2021-04-01T00:00:15","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T07:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=10045"},"modified":"2022-06-15T17:47:50","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T17:47:50","slug":"exit-interview-hr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/exit-interview-hr\/","title":{"rendered":"The Final Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among the most valuable assets at your veterinary practice are your employees. A team member\u2019s permanent departure can present both a challenge for a clinic as well as a silver-lining opportunity for management to gather insights through an exit interview. To help your practice extract maximum value from the situation, I\u2019ll address the who, what, when, where, why and how of the final meeting.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/h3>\n

Employees have deep knowledge about what works well at your practice and doesn\u2019t work. They might not have felt comfortable sharing their thoughts earlier but now they feel freer to have an honest conversation.<\/p>\n

An exit interview allows you to glean information about why an employee is leaving and then possibly use it to improve working conditions, boost productivity and worker retention<\/a>, and save money. After all, recruiting, hiring and training new employees isn\u2019t cheap.<\/p>\n

Why people leave your practice can range from dissatisfaction with pay and benefits to having been recruited by a competitor to problems with management or a co-worker. Some people might be reluctant to share their concerns even on the way out, while others will be happy to talk.<\/p>\n

Conducting exit interviews will help you to identify patterns. If one person admits she is leaving because of a particular manager, a personality conflict might be the reason. If four out of the past five people who left mentioned the same manager, you have an entirely different issue.<\/p>\n

Who?<\/h3>\n

The exit interview should involve the departing employee and one or more people who will conduct the interview and take notes. Many companies assume that the interview is a human resources function and that the HR manager handles the meeting. Although that approach can elicit helpful information, an HR manager almost certainly will focus on HR issues \u2014 salary, benefits and so forth \u2014 and might miss the bigger scope.<\/p>\n

Having the employee\u2019s direct supervisor do the interview can create a comfortable atmosphere if their work relationship was open and positive. However, if the employee is leaving, at least in part, because of the supervisor, his or her involvement can be fraught with difficulty.<\/p>\n

Some experts suggest assigning the task to the supervisor\u2019s supervisor, or one level above that in a large company. At a small practice, the hospital owner might be the one. For some exiting employees, talking with the owner could feel intimidating, but others might view it as a sign that feedback will be taken seriously.<\/p>\n

A few companies hire a consultant<\/a> to conduct exit interviews, but a veterinary practice might not want to spend the money. On the positive side, employees can feel more comfortable giving authentic feedback to a neutral party. Plus, an experienced consultant should be able to draw out valuable insights.<\/p>\n

As you can see, there is no single right answer. Make a savvy choice and try to improve the interview process whenever possible.<\/p>\n

What?<\/h3>\n

The first part of the process is to schedule and hold the exit interview. (Continue reading for the when and where.) Tell the employee that the purpose of the meeting is to get feedback that could improve working conditions and better satisfy employee needs.<\/p>\n

Have a set of questions ready to use but allow for flexibility. For example, you could start by asking why the person is leaving. Two common responses are:<\/p>\n