The Exit Interview as Monitor for Change [microform] : A Review of Literature / Wallace V. Schmidt

The exit interview, while widely practiced, has been largely ignored as an instrument for organizational change. A review of the literature reveals that eight out of ten firms in the United States use exit interviews to control attrition and identify areas where changes need to be instituted. Persuading an employee to tell the truth about why he or she is leaving can pose many difficulties. These can be minimized, however, if the interviewer (1) prepares carefully for the interview, (2) puts the employee at ease, (3) seeks information, (4) uses tact, (5) is honest, (6) concludes the interview, and (7) completes the exit interview report. Noting that this traditional form of interview is not always effective in securing accurate information, Martin Hilb of Schering-Plough International has developed an alternative approach that includes built-in mechanisms, including "image cards" and a "profile" method of evaluation, that help gain reliable data. The literature clearly indicates that, properly used, the exit interview can indeed be a monitor for necessary organizational change. (FL)