• Exit interviews help a company identify opportunities for improvement and foster good relationships with departing employees.

The reasons behind exit interviews when an employee decides to leave a company include identifying areas of concern or opportunity in the organization. This can involve anything from the organization’s culture to the physical environment. For example, six months ago a person took over the shipping department. Since that time, four out of five employees from that department left the department or the company, indicating that the manager was unusually brusque in the person’s management style; the problem may well begin with the promoted person’s management skills.

Trends may also be identified. Exiting employees may indicate that the compensation is better elsewhere, and thus, the organization may want to investigate its compensation structure.

If an employee who is leaving is disgruntled, an exit interview may help to diffuse the conflict. The interview may provide the employee with an opportunity to vent the person’s frustrations with the company. If the employee believes unfair or unequal treatment has occurred, it would be in the best interest of the organization to deal with the issue before the employee seeks legal assistance.