When an employee leaves a firm , business or organization management , the H.R. Human Resourced dept or both it is always a wise strategy to ask questions and learn more about the company’s or organization strong and weak points by questioning that worker or group of workers leaving in detail. Who better to ask?

Yet in many cases companies or upper execs either live in a “yes -man” reality- a self serving situation of devoid of reality and ultimately don’t know or worse don’t want to know or comprehend what is really doing on in their departments and turfs. It might be said at least in a biker gang you know what is what, whereas in many of such organizations platitudes are stated from the top. “We are proactive” etc etc , when in reality these people at the top are waving hefty books – which in closer examination it may be determined are composed of blank pages. Its left to supervisors in the middle to take care or not care of such events and situations with phrases like that of their “Golden Rule”. Their “”Rules of Gold” being, the rules are golden and “They are my rules’. Lots of luck so to speak having a two way discussion with such types. In these cases the health of the firm or organization to put it simply is either not as solid as it could or can be, the foundation may well be on shaky ground or even worse- disaster is just around the corner. Perhaps management wants to shield upper management from the truth and reality. After all truth often hurts. Yet growth is real and substantial in nature. Another scenario is that management may well have a short term viewpoint and are only putting in time , have a shiny face and then use that picture to move on to another more lucrative position where no doubt they will repeat the same scenario. And you wonder why American business and the economy isn’t what it used to be.

When these interview are held or questionnaires (confidential no doubt but often tracked and are readily identifiable) what guidelines should be followed, that is preferably for good effect?

First questions that can be answered with a simple short “yes” or “no” should avoided as a start.

Secondly as the answers are elaborated in full – should be kept on track. Diversions, personal attacks and “tangents” should be avoided as well.

Areas to be focused on include:

1) General Job Factors:

Typical questions include:

a) What did you find most interesting (boring etc.) about job and time spent here?

b) How did the training program help and assist you personally and in your work and tasks accomplished or not accomplished?

c) What are your feelings about the amount and quality of work and workload assigned to you?

2) Next in line are questions and themes dealing with personal attitudes:

a) What is the overall and specific level of morale in the / your department?

b) Did your supervisor clearly explain to you what was expected of you and expressed a clear level of expectations?

In the end and in summary it’s all about honesty, integrity and forthrightness. Everything reported is strictly confidential and is for the benefit of the organization, its overall long term health and perhaps to the benefit of the departing employee or sets of employees as well.

Author Bio: William Piker
Winnipeg Job Search
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