Exit interviews of little use, says expert

An expert has advised employers that the practice of staging exit interviews with workers poised to leave their company actually serves little practical purpose and is largely a wasted endeavour.

Jarrod Parker, actuaries and consultants chief at Alexander Forbes, told the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's annual conference in Manchester that engaging with departing staff does not usually offer a great deal of insight.

"We do exit interviews; we all do that," he told delegates at the event last week. "But you're asking the wrong people, because those people that are leaving are the ones who at least have an axe to grind."

Mr Parker added that some employees who are poised to seek pastures new tend to be "very emotional" when making an assessment of their time at a particular organisation.

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Last month, research from financial services giant PricewaterhouseCoopers found that UK firms' failure to retain staff and the associated costs deprive them of a combined £42 billion each year.

Posted by Hayley Edwards