GCQB-R Exit Interview Procedures

GCQB-R -  EXIT INTERVIEWS

Introduction

The purpose of the exit interview is to find out:

• Why employees are leaving to identify any underlying trends
• Information about working for the School to identify any areas/issues that could be improved or addressed in order to retain high caliber employees
• What the School District is doing well to ensure that these practices continue

Also, to comply with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, the LEA must have systems in place to monitor the ethnicity of employees who either leave or move to another employer.

The Exit Interview Form

An Exit Interview Form should be completed for each interview. The form will ensure that the information is collected in a fair and consistent manner and will help the School District to identify:

• Patterns as to why employees leave
• Any improvements that could be made to development opportunities within the School District
• Comparisons of remuneration/benefits and areas of benefits that could be considered in the future

Procedure

Employees should be encouraged to take part in an exit interview. The interview should only be conducted with employees who are either:

• Resigning from their current post to leave the School District
• Moving to another post in a different School District
• Retiring from the District

Completing the Exit Interview Form is optional.

Plan for the Interview

To ensure that the time you have set aside for the exit interview is used effectively and the maximum amount of information is obtained, you should:

• Ensure you have all appropriate information about the employee who is leaving, e.g. length of service details and a copy of the Exit Interview Form.
• Schedule time out of your work day to carry out the interview and ensure that you are not interrupted. Finding a private room away from the normal workplace is recommended as this will encourage an open discussion to take place.

When should the exit interview be carried out?
 

Ideally the exit interview should take place in the employee’s final week of employment. However, you may need to be flexible with the time frame as a result of annual leave, etc.

Who should carry out the exit interview?
 

The superintendent should carry out the exit interview with the employee who is leaving. However, if the employee has said that they do not want the superintendent to carry out the interview, then the superintendent should arrange for another SAU administrator designee within the same school district to conduct the interview.

How should the exit interview be conducted?
 

The purpose of the interview is to find out information about why the employee is leaving. The Exit Interview Form follows a series of questions to be asked, and as with any interview, responses to questions should be probed and explored as appropriate. Confidentiality must be assured and you should encourage open discussion. It is equally important to find out information of a positive nature to ensure the School District is getting things right and that it continues to do so. You should:

• Explain the purpose of the interview to the employee
• Ensure it is conducted in an informal and relaxed manner
• Reassure the employee that any comments they make will have no bearing on future events, e.g. a request for a reference
   

What happens next?

Any information obtained by the interview process and through the Exit Interview survey should be retained by the Superintendent of Schools. It will not be placed in an employee’s personnel file. This information will serve to support the District’s analysis of potential trends relating to retention of staff, Human Resource related training needs, and District professional culture and climate. 

Survey: See attachment