Exit interviews are meant to capture honest feedback, but that’s rarely what happens. Employees’ responses are often careful and reserved, leaving out any deeper concerns or grievances — and that’s when they choose to participate at all.
Research shows that traditional exit interviews’ response rates are only around 30%, meaning HR hears from fewer than one in three departing employees. The thing is, they are talking about these concerns — just not to you.
This week’s HR 411 discusses how exit interviews can fall short, where former employees are sharing feedback, and how HR leaders can use those insights to their advantage.
Why Exit Interviews Don’t Tell the Full Story
Exit interviews commonly take place when employees are focused on wrapping up loose ends at one job and preparing to move on to another.
In most cases, employees want to leave on good terms and avoid unnecessary tension during their last days with the company, leading to feedback being measured and less honest. Even when an employee has had negative experiences with an organization, they are often advised to avoid burning bridges in case they need to rely on the company in the future for character references or referrals.
This advice may play a part in why workers feel pressured to withhold honest feedback. A recent survey reported nearly half of employees feel pressure to withhold honest feedback, and roughly one in four admit to giving incomplete or inaccurate responses in formal surveys. This is most prominent in younger generations with 26% of millennials and 24% of Gen Zers reporting they often feel pressured to hold back.
Timing also complicates the issue since, by the time an exit interview occurs, employees see little value in revisiting unresolved concerns. In the same survey, one major reason employees reported holding back in these interviews was that they didn’t think their feedback would change anything. Considering only 28% of HR managers regularly act on exit interview data, this belief might be warranted.
Where Do Employees Go Instead?
While there are many reasons why an employee might withhold the truth during exit interviews, one question remains: Where are they actually leaving feedback?
Workers are turning to online job search websites like Glassdoor or company social pages to leave feedback on their experiences at the organization.
And there’s a reason we’re not calling it honest feedback. That’s because even when employees leave feedback online, more than 10% of people have admitted to lying or “stretching the truth.”
When asked why they were dishonest, the study found that most respondents who leave an online review have very few positives to share. Of all the people surveyed, over half reported giving their former employer 1 or 2 stars, and only 22% reported giving 4 or 5 stars.
With this information in mind, the question we posed earlier now evolves into how HR teams can be proactive with the information they do receive.
How Can HR Use This Information?
Despite the inconsistencies with feedback, HR teams should still consider responses as a vital part of improving retention and company culture.
Creating exit interviews that work
When creating exit interviews, it’s best to consider the common barriers that limit candid feedback — like what was discussed above — and how to address them.
For example, many employees don’t have the time to stop working to respond to exit interviews. Some employers have begun conducting exit interviews several weeks or even months after an individual leaves either by phone or with a survey. This gives the former employee more time to reflect and gain perspective on their experience.
Gathering feedback from online reviews
When navigating online reviews, it can be difficult to discern who is being truthful and who is exaggerating. Luckily, you don’t have to find out if reviews are telling the truth, just if there is anything substantial you can learn from within them.
- Look for patterns in the reviews. If there are multiple reviews that mention similar concerns like poor work-life balance or unstable workloads, you can make a note to review these concerns in more detail.
- Consider the timing of the posts. If there are multiple posts somewhat close together, there may be a pressing issue that is affecting your employees currently. If reviews are more spread out but mention similar concerns, there might be a persistent challenge that has been flying under the radar for a while. Knowing this information can help you decide which area to tackle first.
- Look for reviews with specific references. Authentic reviews usually mention both pros and cons and share specific experiences. These can be used as a way to differentiate between exaggerated and honest reviews.
Exit interviews still matter, they just need to be approached with more context and less finality.
