What are some good questions to understand why people are leaving our company for other jobs?

Question

We're experiencing quite a bit of attriton, especially with our professional employees.We'd like to find out why they are leaving.

Answer 1

It's not always about paycheck. . . maybe have the leaving employees take a short "exit survey" asking them to rank, in order of importance, the things that they disliked most about their job?

For example, you could have them list, on a scale, their dissatisfaction with:

___ Amount of pay

___ Having ideas/suggestions listened to by supervisor/boss

___ Benefits

___ Hours of work

___ Dress code

___ Group/Project work, etc.

___ Etc.

I suggest the written survey/questionnaire, just because when employees leave, it's usually because they're very dissatisfied or they have a fairly strong incentive (by a competing company) to work for them instead of you. Rather than take the leaving employees' answer for face value, work with them to see what can be improved at your workplace to entice them to stay. Reference the completed "survey" in a meeting or "exit interview," for feedback.

I have an MBA; it's been fairly well-documented that the cost of retaining the qualified employees is usually _much_ lower than the cost of finding new ones, especially factoring in the cost of employee search, payroll, training, etc. Don't let the good ones get away, work with them, there's almost always room for some compromise.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

If you have not had any clues as to why the recent depatrure of the proffesional employees, it may help to find out where they are all going. When someone leaves on less then mutual or pleasant terms, they might launch an attack on convincing other employees to leave. Most employment contracts address the issue of quiting / or being terminated and then trying to get your peers to leave for other companies that may pay more or have better benefits.

Answer 4

I think you should communicate more with employess of your competitors to feel the difference.

I was employee too who left a company not so long ago, and I had impression that my employers live in their closed imaginatory world thinking only that the whole thing is the cash they pay (and OK if nobody protests at the same moment), but many people just were full to the throat of their tricks how to pay minimal taxes.

Answer 5

Ask them why they would rather work someplace else. Another good question would be,"What improvements would you make to this company if you were charge?"

Answer 6

Ask them why they are seeking new jobs in the exit interview. Also, ask them what are the strengths and weaknesses of their job.