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.
