Exit interviews

In one of my jobs I ended up being quite badly bullied by my immediate boss.

It took me quite a while to realise what was going on – I liked them, and could see they had personal problems.   I tried to help.  And I assumed that I was the one getting things wrong.

But once the real situation became obvious I also realised that I wasn’t the first person on the team to suffer.   In fact several team members had already left for this reason.

Eventually, I decided to look for another job, and found one.   A step up, for much better money, that did wonders for my self-esteem.

The day I left I had an interview with someone in HR.   They were sorry to see me go.   I’d been there a long time.   I’d done a good job.   I was appreciated by the people I served and well thought of by others in my department.  We had a nice conversation.

Finally, it was time to go.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m leaving?”

I know that things changed in that team after I left.  The team was re-structured, my old boss got help.  But only because I volunteered information about what was going on.

An exit interview is your last opportunity to learn from an unhappy client, supplier or team member.   Don’t waste it.