Exit interview for disappointing charity job - honesty or not?

[JackieWeaversExitButton]

I have been working for a medium sized health charity for a year, totally remotely. I have recently accepted a role elsewhere that is paying me 20% more so too good to turn down and I’ve since resigned.

My experience in the current role has been disappointing and I’m wondering whether I make this clear in my exit interview. Alternatively I’m wondering whether to stick to the ‘couldn’t turn down a promotion’ line and keep everything ‘nice’.

Some of my experiences:

• totally disengaged line manager. Said manager wouldn’t always turn up to teams meetings, wouldn’t delegate work and would often cut across me in meetings. As a consequence I have been pushing forward new initiatives with very little interest or support from her. The role was newly created and it appeared that no one really wanted to ‘manage’ me! Given that I was the first fully remote worker it felt more jarring because I didn’t have an existing relationship with the team therefore felt very sidelined

• my role was reliant upon another member of staff involved in systems and data. It is common knowledge that said colleague was overstretched but this would mean nearly all deadlines to do with my projects were missed. This left me incredibly frustrated/ bored and it was simply accepted that things couldn’t be done because said colleague was under the cosh. Cue: loads of time for me to do not a lot!

• whilst I was made aware of travel (I live 100 miles from the head office) there have been occasions where I’ve been given two days’ notice to come in and to arrange antigen tests etc. Likewise, my IT was shocking. I changed laptops twice and didn’t receive full assets until I was 6 months in…also had to chase for confirmation that I’d passed my probation/lock in a development meeting that kept being postponed

I could go on 😜

So wwyd? Keep things brief and upbeat or make them aware that things haven’t been ideal?

I wonder if you’re working for the charity I left a couple of years ago 🥴

Do you think they would take your feedback on board? If it’d fall on deaf ears or be met with hostility I wouldn’t bother- I realise this makes me ‘part of the problem’.

May as well, evidently you've already considered what you would say so it won't be additional mental or time effort as presumably the exit interview will be in work time. Similarly if you can't be arsed then nah.

If it was me, I would start light, allude to something, see if they ask for more - if not leave it and if they do then say more. Don't go in all guns blazing.

@PatchworkElmer heh, I have a feeling it could be a sector wide issue for sure. Oh the tales I could tell

I don't understand the point of exit interviews other than passing on relevant information regarding work in hand.

I wouldn't advise anyone leaving to tell the real reason for leaving, as they may want or need to return to the same employer or work with those people again.

Just say goodbye, wish them well and that's it.

The world is too small so I’d say don’t bother unless you’re think they’ll actually act on it

Honestly I wouldn’t waste your time. It’s clear they don’t value you as an employee and find you replaceable. They won’t change anything or regret their actions towards you. I bet your manager would cancel on your exit interview last minute

If you are safely out and new job is safely secured, tell them and cc everyone as far up the ladder as you can. And of course the charity commission. Putting on my very long time ago hat working for a charity that begins with an O ends with an M and has X and F and A in the middle... Their middle management team was utterly dreadful. There is a reason I now support small charities who definitely seem to get more done per penny donated than the well known national charities, even after making allowance for advertising campaigns.

@genericuserneeded it wouldn’t be with her, thankfully!

Yes I would tell the truth if you're leaving
I've done it before

First I was going to say yes but go in gently withh the criticism. But I re-read your post and no. Say nothing. Best way. You won't be thanked.

Pointless. Honestly. I've worked in several well known names in charity sector and been similar. Exit interviews made no difference. It's not you it's the sector.

There is an old saying about being nice to the people you meet on the way up as you may meet them on the way down.

I would say nothing.

Worked for two charities. Save your breath. I would never work in that sector again. My friend plays the system moving charities for more money each time. They don't inspire loyalty as an employee

I've just started working for a charity for the first time and your post makes me nervous!
My first week has been rather chaotic - back to back meetings with hardly time to breathe in between.
No proper training or induction yet.
IT problems - I think IT are based in India?
Not got a clue yet what I'm meant to do or how they want me to do it. Feel like I'm having to guess?
Role is meant to be homebased with 'some' travel. It now appears that 'some' will be 'a lot'.
Is this normal for a charity? Its a big name charity!

@listentomydeclaration: sounds pretty normal, yes.

I've been in my charity role for a year now and I'm none the wiser about what I'm supposed to be doing.

I'm glad of threads like these because at least I know I'm not alone.

I think it’s a sector issue tbh. Someone said that often you get passionate people not leaders in third sector and I suspect this is true.

@listentomydeclaration I have worked for plenty of charities of varying sizes. There are too many variables and unknown factors in your question but yes, I think a lot of large charities are chaotic in the way you described.

Whenever HR ran courses bonding days to make chocolate, go kayaking I declined because we were snowed under organising events locally. I made no friends at HO in London by doing this. Head office staff would descend looking like hippies but staying in the best hotels while at the same time I was so grateful for Mrs Jones 24 jars of marmalade 🙈

Have you spoken to your workmates @listentomydeclaration

What do they say?

I don’t work in the charity sector but we’ve made changes in my team as a result of feedback given in exit interviews. In both cases it was things we knew about but needed ammunition to get dealt with by senior management, and the exit interviews helped provide that. In general I’d be wary of any criticism of people but some of the points you’ve made - eg being reliant on a single colleague for systems/data - are quite constructive.

I haven't spoken to anyone yet. I haven't really had a chance!

Its only been my first week and as I said its been back to back meetings with different teams and for different projects.

Lots of jargon I don't understand and lots of "listen will do this" and I'm thinking "no one has shown me how yet".

There are so many names / titles / roles / projects to take in.

I don't have full IT access yet and IT are very slow (and clearly not British - not meaning to be racist but its contributing to problems getting things set up).

I feel exhausted, overwhelmed, getting headaches and I'm not even getting enough time to eat lunch. I feel very thrown in at the deep end without proper training or induction. There is an induction e-learning but I simply have no time to do it (or effective IT to do it).

I've never had a first week like it before and I am wondering if its me, or if that's what the job/sector is like? I don't know if things will calm down or if I've made a mistake.

I just feel so anxious about it all.

I did speak to my manager who said we can slow down, then in the next meeting he puts my name forward to lead on something next week and I just don't feel ready. So he seems a bit flip flop with his support so far! And his manager is based abroad.

Our team is a team of 2 and there is clearly too much work for me and him. Again I don't know if that's normal. I feel my salary isn't enough for what they appear to want me to do.

I'm going to see how I feel at the end of my probation - I haven't had it confirmed if its 3 month or 6 month probation either!

I worked for a charity. They were not very charitable to their employees and it was very stressful. Put me off the charity sector tbh. It was full of politics and who knew who. Take care xx

I feel my salary isn't enough for what they appear to want me to do

Sector issue I think there

I’d be honest. One charity I worked for did make changes when two people in close succession highlights the same difficulties in their exit interviews.

Pick the top 5 things, work out what you want to say in advance, start off easy and gauge the reaction you’re getting.