In 2010 The Interview Group conducted a landmark study on the current state of on-boarding, stay and exit interviews in Australia and New Zealand. The goal of this project was to understand whether these practices are being used to their full potential and, if not, to identify where the untapped value lies.

Three hundred and seventy four (374) organisations from a wide variety of sectors and with headcounts ranging from less than 200 to over 10,000 participated in the research by responding to a 75 question online survey. The research was advertised in the Australian Human Resources Institute magazine and through a broad email campaign to HR contacts throughout Australia and New Zealand.

For each interview type the following topics are analysed in detail. Specific and practical recommendations with detailed explanations are provided to help you improve your on-boarding, stay and exit interviews.

Who is being interviewed Data collection methods Quality controls Disclosure policies Interview content Response rates How the data is used Perceived value derived from the process

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This study reveals that exit interviews have become a standard HR practice. Despite being a newer practice, on-boarding interviews are taking off rapidly and are already half as common as exit interviews. True stay interviews are far less common.

Despite the prevalence of these practices (exit interviews being done in nearly all cases) most organisations who participated in the research feel they are not gaining full value from their effort. Response rates, the availability of a reporting tool to access the data, and how regularly reports where distributed to key people were all factors affecting the perceived value of the interviews. While these are important issues, the research shows that even the organisations who believe they are getting good value for their efforts are missing important opportunities. The key untapped value lies within the content and scope of the interviews, the quality controls on data collection and the disclosure policies.

The collection of information on reasons for leaving provides a striking example of where value from the content is being missed. The research shows that only 16% of organisations distinguish between annoyances and true turnover drivers. This means that 84% of organisations do not have a clear understanding of what causes their staff to resign.

Organisations are also missing a great deal of value in the use of exit data. Key opportunities are the greater use of exit reports (both individual and aggregated reports) for analysis and manager development. Exit information is also vastly under-utilised as the primary guide for retention efforts with many organisations relying instead on staff survey data that is far less predictive of quit behaviour.

On-boarding and stay interview practices similarly reveal a great deal of scope for organisations to improve the returns they are receiving for their interviewing efforts.