Exit Interviews and Training

Did you ever think that there could possibly be a co-relation between a client exit interview and training?

I can remember the last job I left that had an exit interview. The big question they asked was, why are you leaving…and all I could say was that when an employee knows more than their manager, does the manager's work and gets less than half the pay, it's time to move on and find employment with a company that values employees and recognizes the value those employees bring to the table. It only took two other employees and three weeks for the company to realize they were losing good workers because of one bad one.

Do we ask our clients the same thing when they decide to leave us to go to the competition? Good companies, companies that really value their clients will ask on a regular basis, what have we done right and what needs improvement.

Just like in sales, as trainers we can't get stuck in a rut and make assumptions that the material we are coving suits our client's needs. Does the training I'm developing meet the goal the company set when they made the decision to hire a corporate trainer? To find out I use an exit interview. In my case, the exit interview is the after class evaluation form. You know that silly form we take for granted when we ask all class participants to jot down their opinions on if we were prepared, if we were knowledgeable, if the room was too hot or too cold and if the class participants were bored to tears or do they really, truly, believe that the material covered in the session is going to help them do their job better.

Most times, I don't take much notice of the general responses unless there is one that was especially positive or negative. I do try to focus on the grouping of questions around the employee's perception of how the training session will help them do their job. If someone indicates, the material covered will not help with their job then I have to find out why. (If there are especially negative comments I ALWAYS address them – even if I don't want to. Never leave the negative comments untouched. You may find that the comment was made because the employee was grumpy, sick, tired, dealing with challenging personal issues, worried about work etc. and that it really isn't a reflection of you or your training.)

When I follow up after an evaluation I ask some tough questions.

Why did the employee:

1. Feel that the session won't help them
   
2. Choose this session – what research did they do into the course content
   
3. Waste their time coming to a session that wasn't for them
   
4. Take the spot away from someone else who would have benefited from the training
   
5. Waste company money to be in the training session
   

Speaking with the individuals who fill out the form helps me understand if my marketing materials need to be changed, if a different message needs to be included in the course offerings to the staff. In some cases it is just that we need to let the managers know who the training is designed for and when managers understand that each session is customized to a group within the organization, they better understand the need for their staff to attend the correct session thereby ensuring the employees receive instruction appropriate to their position and that they learn something they need to know.

Sometimes as trainers we are just lucky and the people attending our sessions REALLY want to be there (not often – but when that happens it sure makes our job all the more worthwhile doesn't it?).

So – exit interviews aren't just for those employees moving on to bigger and better things, or clients leaving for the competition. They are also a key factor in improving our own material and performance and getting the company a great return on the training investment.