It turns out there are companies that want to interview employees heading out the door, even when they've just been laid-off. In a new workplace blog debuting this weekend, a reader asks The New York Times to settle a disagreement about exit interviews.
"Most of my friends counter that you should just say what the company wants to hear, in order to keep the employer as a good reference," asks reader T.C. of Pittsburgh. "I understand that argument, but I don’t feel comfortable not disclosing what I know to be true and why I am leaving."
The NYT's answer may surprise you. Read more here.
What would you tell Gannett in your exit interview? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.
"Most of my friends counter that you should just say what the company wants to hear, in order to keep the employer as a good reference," asks reader T.C. of Pittsburgh. "I understand that argument, but I don’t feel comfortable not disclosing what I know to be true and why I am leaving."
The NYT's answer may surprise you. Read more here.
What would you tell Gannett in your exit interview? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.
Gannett is beyond change at this point. Any helpful advice or feedback would be ignored, especially given by an ex-employee regardless if they quit, were fired or laid off.
ReplyDeleteI worked at Usa Today until accepting the recent buyout. The people in charge didnt know me, didnt appear to want to get to know me and didnt care that I was leaving. I suspect things are still the same. Its all about show over substance at that place. When I happen to read the product, I am amazed at how little quality and effort goes in. Getting rid of people is one thing, but if you dont replace them with quality people, the product becomes les and less appealing to consumers able to shop elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteAfter 30 years, my exit interview included "Do you need any help carrying your stuff to the car, and oh by the way - I'm going to need your badge."
ReplyDeleteI knew this topic would quickly become a haven for whiners. It was a bad idea to post it.
ReplyDeleteJust stating facts.
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DeleteI told them of the hostile work environment created by an editor who had already been suspended twice for a sexual harassment incident and for trying to retaliate against a co-worker who reported those incidents. HR didn't seem to care - said they were aware and working on it, but the violator is still there while most of the reporters have left.
ReplyDeleteHere is the best irony I've heard regarding exit interviews:
ReplyDeleteA former colleague in our downsized newsroom said his exit interview was a slap in the face. When he tried to honestly offer suggestions for workplace improvement for those still employed here, the young HR assistant conducting the interview smugly told him that the reason he was being let go was because his ideas were antiquated and certainly not needed by "forward-looking" Gannett.
My friend struggled for a while, but then landed a good job in PR at a corporate headquarters here. In the meantime, more layoffs occurred at our site. One of those targeted was the smug HR assistant.
Recently she applied for a job at my ex-colleague's new workplace. The policy there is to have applicants visit with several people individually. My friend was put on the list because he had once worked at the newspaper with this woman. When she appeared in his office door, he said, her chin dropped to the floor because she recognized him. He said he conducted a very professional interview, but he couldn't resist dropping a couple of mentions of "forward-looking."
She got the message. But she didn't get the job. However, my friend had nothing to do with that decision. Before he even was asked for his opinion, word came that she had been rejected by the HR director for unspecified reasons.
Bottom line: What goes around comes around.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteHere's an edited version of 6:52's comment:
DeleteJust goes to the saying that you should treat others like you would want to be treated. This woman learned that lesson the hard way.
Exit interviews are primarily to protect the company from an employee leaving and later filing suit. Figure if you don't mention it in the exit interview, the company will use that against you.
ReplyDeleteBe honest, professional and on-point with material info that leaves Gannett little recourse to do anything but act.
ReplyDeleteIf you feel local HR is impotent and/or a publisher’s puppet, then contact the external HR head for your group for an exit interview. It’s what I did, one they found enlightening as it provided solid, verifiable data, exposing clear issues with local leadership. It also provided the real reasons why a solid performer left of their own accord, not the defensive tale the publisher, HR told.
To Gannett’s credit, that discussion, and a summary to Matore's predecessor shortly thereafter, led to a site visit by McLean, interviews with key players who were left and a message for the main offender to clean up or else.
Those you leave behind will appreciate it and you will too as it’s almost cathartic.
HR hasn't reported to publishers in several years.
DeleteBy the time I was let go, Gannett had no more real HR people left, except at corporate. The one HR person remaining at our site -- she was placed there when the knowledgeable people left -- was someone who did nothing but perfunctory tasks; for anything more than that, she'd call corporate and ask those people what to do.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's one reason I didn't get an exit interview from GGMC. Maybe the other reason is, they weren't interested in anything I could have said. And really, it was a godsend to be out of that hellhole quickly, anyway.
For those who don't know, GGMC is Gannett Government Media Corp., which publishes Army Times, Navy Times and other such titles.
DeleteWhen I was in HR and we were doing a layoff, we didn't even bother with an exit interview. We both knew why you were leaving; why prolong the agony?
ReplyDeleteBefore I considered a buyout, I tried talking to USA Today editor Dave Callaway. The guy had nothing to say to me. But he literally was a newsroom ghost when I was there. Something is deeply disturbing about this man.
ReplyDeleteHe's just not into you,4:58.
ReplyDeleteI thought Gannett's policy was merely to verify employment when asked, not to give recommendations, so why worry about that? Also as one felled in the recent layoff round, I believe one factor that negatively influenced my future was being outspoken. So I chose to be prepared by wearing my company logo shirt, which I peeled off and handed to the axe man (read: executive editor). It was enormously satisfying.
ReplyDelete