Exit interview - how honest to be?

[MsFrost]

I have a new role and an exit interview coming up for my current one.

I work for a large, national organisation and the exit interview is with my line manager, not HR (not sure why, this is just how they do things).

Part of the reason I'm leaving is because of my manager being disinterested, not 'fighting our corner' to help my team get what we needed, not feeling very valued, amongst lots of other organisational issues which ultimately became too much for me to cope with and just made my job more difficult.

My manager is quite senior in the organisation (I'm a manager myself so she is a level up).

AIBU to not be honest about this because I feel uncomfortable saying it to her?! Were you totally honest in your exit interview? I'm scared of burning bridges I guess.

There’s no benefit to you at all in being honest. Much more sensible to make nice, in case you need a reference, a favour or even another job down the line.

I was completely honest to HR last week
when I left. Tbh I’d told them everything already previously and to our COO earlier and in a catch up just before I left, and it only really echoed everything 99% of leavers had said before me - bullying by certain senior people. HR and I agreed that nothing could be done.

They said the feedback was always anonymised and only general trends reported and I know a couple of people leaving before me were far more explicit and sweary in their accounts, so I’m not scared.

Actually given certain things that I’ve heard since I’ve left, I’m hopeful that they are scared enough to be doing sth about it now (my views are quite respected as a senior person myself). So 🤞

A company that sets up an exit interview with your line manager, rather than HR, is not a company that actually values and acts upon the feedback from exit interviews.
Let them figure it out themselves...

^This.

I refuse to participate in this daft shit.

Personally I would even bother with the interview

I've had two exit interviews. With the first one, I didn't really want to leave, but it was a promotion opportunity and I would have been stupid to turn it down. Said exactly that to the senior manager doing the exit interview, and asked if he'd have me back in the future... he laughed and said if he'd had an equivalent job, he'd have given it to me.

Second interview, I was leaving a job and a place where I was deeply deeply unhappy, and the exit interview was with HR rather than line management. I told her EVERYTHING. It was very satisfying.

This all suggests that if companies insisted on honest exit interviews with no penalties for the leaver, they could learn a fuck of a lot. Potential point of innovation.

Wow, these comments are really interesting, most people really think exit interviews are pointless don't they?

As an employee, I know that my manager will not really care.

But as a manager, I did do an exit interview with a member of my team, and he gave some feedback about the organisation which I really agreed with and I did try to pass it on up and fought to make some changes based on it.

So I don't actually think they are always pointless but I think I will probably not be honest with mine because I know my manager is useless and won't bother to do anything with my feedback.

a couple of thoughts with a preface of ‘if you know you won’t want to go back to work there’…

put an email together to your line manager and blind copy HR, sent the email before the meeting and suggest the meeting can be used to discuss your points if required. Likely the meeting will be cancelled.

just for kicks, say to your line manager that as you’re leaving is there anything they would like you to raise as if it’s coming from you.

I don't know about pointless but employees are far too obliging : if you are going to give them valuable pointers as to where and how they need to improve their business you should charge them at management consultants' rates, which are quite high, I believe. Trade unions have missed a trick here.

If what you have to say is negative or not so positive, you probably won’t make any impact. And you never know- down the line you may end up working with some of those people again elsewhere (HR, your old team, etc. I wouldn’t lie but would be as upbeat and positive as possible ; nothing to gain from being negative at that point

On leaving warned HR about a toxic employee and not to promote.
Months later said person promoted, followed by bullying, abuse and general unhappiness in the office. Led to resignations of good staff and culprit disciplined and multiple tribunals and settlements. Cannot say they were not warned, so yes waste of time.

If I am leaving it's generally because I was treated badly.

I don't want them to do well so I never give them honest feedback as either it's ignored and my bridges are burned OR they take it on board and improve (which I don't want them to do because I am petty)

You have to go to the right level to get any action. When I left one organisation we had a senior director who was a terrible bully to me and others. We were pretty sure local HR would brush it under the carpet. So on the day I left I emailed a detailed report of his behaviour to the CEO and copied the executive HR head in our US parent. I got a reply within 30 minutes saying that they would investigate. He left the company shortly afterwards. What they didn't know was that the email I sent was drafted by a group of us who worked for him, but I sent it as I was leaving anyway. It did the trick though.

I said ALOT in my exit interview. They didn’t offer them at the time but I asked for one. Now I know that it’s their standard practise.

I said it all. I’d said it all many times before. I was open and transparent and tried to be unbiased and they knew the problems as well as anyone else but I had to say it, or if not have rest easy.

I still talk to loads of my colleagues including the manager who conducted the interview so I can’t see it had anything but positive outcomes.

Just say you're moving for the money/ easier commute etc.

She knows why you're really leaving

As much as I wish exit interview feedback worked, I have never seen it work. Plus in my young and naive days, I gave honest feedback and the bitch manager scuppered my chances with another employee in the same industry by putting in a word to her contact/friend that I was a troublemaker. I aced assessment tests and interviews, and was about to get the offer I wanted, the recruitment agent was livid about lost commission too.

I think you should give constructive criticism for why you're leaving:

Tell them you didn't feel valued or supported by the senior leadership team, and that along with other organisational issues the job wasn't enjoyable any more. You're leaving to go somewhere with ongoing support, positive leadership and an opportunity to develop your career.

What they choose to do with that information is up to them. But you will have told them calmly and professionally why you're leaving. They need to know. Where I work exit interviews are taken seriously and we look into any issues raised. You'll feel a lot better for having told them. And you can walk out with your chin up that you've been professional right to the end.

That's the way I have gone. as they where not interested in what I said at my appraisel!

The only honest one I ever did was when I retired..