I Don’t Know Why You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello

Comings and goings are common in organizations. Bringing on new employees has always been viewed as a positive experience. Someone choosing to leave is another story. The remaining employees tend to ask why? One of the most misunderstood elements in organizational life is the employee that leaves. And with my apologies to the Beatles, I’d like to explore this. 

First, after an employee leaves, there is an impact on those left behind. It takes time to hire a new employee to replace the one who has left. Training them, sometimes called the onboarding process, takes time. Managers are busy running their business and often don’t take the time to spend with the new hire. This is a harmful oversight.

In the meantime, most companies require employees to double up or fill in the work the departed person was accountable for. Most don’t get increased compensation–or even recognition–which affects employee morale and output.

By the time the replacement is hired, staff can be either annoyed or welcoming, and often both. It’s in the staff's best interest to engage with the new hire, to share with him or her how their work interfaces with the new employee’s work. Rapport leads to trust, and this is the cornerstone of a well-balanced workforce.

Traditionally management has not always interviewed the exiting employee as to the reason for his or her departure. If conducted correctly, the data mined in these exit interviews are invaluable. 

The person conducting the exit interview must engender a strong sense of trust in the interviewee. It is a waste of a company’s time and resources to pay an employee or outside consultant who the interviewee does not trust. Gleaning the truth surrounding the departure is essential. 

During an exit interview, the data may point to a toxic work environment. Other times the culprit is the management. If you are being named as a problem, you must put your emotions aside and listen. Mining the truth here goes a long way. This is an opportunity to learn and grow. If an outside consultant conducts the interviewing and reports back, the urge to shoot the messenger may bubble up. Although this may be unpleasant, a good consultant will notice it and let it go. This is a key learning opportunity that can be the differentiator between your company’s success and failure. What will you do with this opportunity? I invite you to share your thoughts.