In a recent poll, employees who voluntarily left an organization said the exit process experience matters to them — and enhancing that experience can benefit business, according to a July 16 report from Gallup.
For instance, a positive exit experience can boost reputation, build a network of former employees, attract talent and strengthen team culture.
“While exiting employees say 42% of voluntary turnover is preventable, the rest may be inevitable. In these situations, a manager’s focus must shift from turnover prevention to creating a positive exit experience,” Gallup researchers Corey Tatel and Ben Wigert wrote.
In a survey of 150 CHROs at Fortune 500 companies, most said their exit experience is a weak point, with only 10% agreeing their company is highly effective at “employee departure.” In fact, the employee exit experience was rated much lower than seven other aspects of employee experience.
In another survey of 716 workers who voluntarily left an employer during the past 12 months, 43% of voluntary leavers said they were satisfied or extremely satisfied, while 26% were neutral and 31% were dissatisfied or extremely dissatisfied. Those with a positive experience were more likely to say they’d recommend the company as a great place to work or return in the future.
Manager reactions seemed to be mixed — and this may inform employee experience substantially. About a quarter of voluntary leavers said they were treated professionally with respect and understanding, and 17% reported support and encouragement. However, another 24% said they encountered rudeness, hostility or general negativity. When managers showed support, employees were six-times more likely to be satisfied with the exit process.
To create a better exit experience, Gallup suggested managers show support, avoid negativity, celebrate the exiting employee’s accomplishments before departure, recommend former employees for new jobs, and develop a network of brand ambassadors by encouraging them to refer colleagues or “boomerang” back for another job in the future.
HR pros can also help workers through the layoff process, sources told HR Dive. Leaders and HR teams can communicate details with transparency, show empathy, anticipate employee needs and notify their network of potential job candidates.
More than half of recently laid off workers workers said in a survey they’d return to a company if treated respectfully during the exit process, according to ZipRecruiter. Most workers surveyed said they were informed in person (rather than via phone, email or video call), but fewer than half said they received career advice, job search assistance or severance pay.