Being Honest In Exit Interviews Is Pointless

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Being Honest In Exit Interviews Is Pointless

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Monday July 23, 2012 @12:24PM from the but-burning-bridges-is-really-fun dept.

Esther Schindler writes "Say that you're leaving a job, either on your own volition or because they decided it was time for you to 'pursue other opportunities.' Before you leave, the HR department wants to chat with you about the employment experience, in an exit interview. 'Oh goodie,' you think. 'Now I can really tell them what I really feel.' Don't do it. If your employer couldn't find the time to ask you what was good or bad about working at the company while you were still working there, writes Lisa Vaas, why bother with honesty and potentially burned bridges now? (If they did ask, give them constructive feedback before you leave this job; they deserve it). Discuss."

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Easier headline... by Darkness404 · 2012-07-23 12:25 · Score: 5, Insightful

Easier headline: exit interviews are pointless.

--
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
1. Re:Easier headline... by Macthorpe · 2012-07-23 12:43 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I don't know. I've had jobs I've hated so much that the exit interview provided some much needed catharsis to combat years of stress.
  
  --
  "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
2. Re:Easier headline... by mikeiver1 · 2012-07-23 12:58 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Been there, done that, nothing good came of it at all! Exit interviews are simply pointless for the exiting employee. They are simply another keep busy activity for the over payed HR tools. I have never seen any substantial changes come of the info gleaned from them and being critical of the company, management, and your fellow past employees can only result in trouble down the line. Remember that they can't speak ill of you but they can simply answer that they would not rehire you. The kiss of death for anyone looking for a job now days.
3. Re:Easier headline... by mmarlett · 2012-07-23 13:07 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  I once told my employer that I was leaving in three months. I honestly didn't know what I was doing when I left, but it had gotten so bad for me that I just had to leave. Telling them that I was going was a great weight off my chest. About a month before I was going to leave, they scheduled an exit interview for me. I told them what I thought about what was going on. I also packed what little personal items I had and took them home with me. When I showed up the next day, I had been bared from entering the building except to go directly to HR, where the president was waiting to talk to me to tell me why my resignation was being accepted early. I insisted that he was firing me, because for me nothing was different this day than the day before. If knowing how I felt makes that much difference to them, then they are firing me. So, as was eventually backed up by the state employment agency, they fired me (and still insisted that they were just taking my resignation early). Did I burn a bridge? Not one that I ever wanted to go back across unless they were willing to rebuild it from their end. It was the environment that they created that made me decide to leave, and as long as it was as petty and difficult as it was when I left, I don't care to return.
4. Re:Easier headline... by DukeLinux · 2012-07-23 13:18 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  True. I used to work for a large company with a big pointless HR department. While setting up the exit interview they asked me casually why I was resigning. I matter-of-factly stated that I despised my boss because he was totally incompetent. In fact, he was...a "buddy" of the CEO who needed a job after a messy divorce. My exit interview was cancelled. They do not like to hear such things. I was not worried about burning bridges...I took two weeks vacation the day I resigned so that I would not turn anything over. I was the Unix admin. F**k them. Every job since then I networked into. Yeah, I am lucky.
5. Re:Easier headline... by SydShamino · 2012-07-23 13:24 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I don't think that's true. One of the biggest reasons people voluntarily leave a company is because they didn't like their immediate manager. That's true at bad companies, and it's especially true at otherwise great companies.
  One problem during normal employment is that, very often, you are supposed to take complaints first to your immediate manager. If you don't like him, you have to either go around him (which could get you in trouble with him) or go to HR (which could get you in trouble with him).
  That said, if you do work for a good company, they may not realize that your manager isn't very good at his job. Someone has to be promoted to manager before the company learns how he manages, and not everyone will be able to adapt to it.
  So, the exit interview could be a time to let someone at the company know that, while they are a really great place to work overall with an excellent business plan, communication plan, work/life balance plan, etc., you found yourself in a situation where you didn't care for your recent immediate manager and therefore chose to move on. I doubt you've burned many bridges saying something like that, and now they know. A good company might later be willing to hire you back, especially with all the nice things you said about them overall.
  
  --
  It doesn't hurt to be nice.
6. Re:Easier headline... by TheGratefulNet · 2012-07-23 13:30 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  if you need a shrink to talk to, hire one.
  go to a bar. chat with the bartender.
  find some person online and vent to them.
  venting is useful and needed.
  but never vent to HR.
  
  --
  
  --
  "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
7. Re:Easier headline... by Lumpy · 2012-07-23 13:32 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  The one time I burned a bridge, I brought gasoline with me. My old boss was shaking so bad he could not tell me to "get out". I had a standing ovation as I left the building by co workers.
  If you are going to burn a bridge, make sure it's epic and they can see it from orbit.
  
  --
  Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
8. Re:Easier headline... by jamesh · 2012-07-23 13:46 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  I bet you're glad that's behind you! I've seen a few cases where 4 weeks notice was given and the employer opted to just pay out the remaining 4 weeks (or force leave to be taken) because of a perceived risk (employee moving to another job etc), but this option was in the employment contract. 3 months is a bit of a stretch though, especially as you thought you were giving them plenty of notice.
9. Re:Easier headline... by blk_prometheus · 2012-07-23 14:41 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Never, ever give an exit interview!!! Why? Because an exit interview is used by your company for legal purposes. Maybe you said in the exit interview that you had no concerns, and no negative things to say. And remember the HR representative is probably taking notes, and they may have a questionnaire for you to fill out. But then in the future maybe you decide to sue them for some reason. They'll pull out your statements from the exit interview as evidence that you have no reason to sue them. And yes, they do keep your exit interview records on file. Your own words would be used against you. Also, HR cannot withhold your final paycheck if you don't do the exit interview. That's the law!! I heard this on an NPR show about 15 years ago. The guest for the show was a woman who decided to do research on how HR departments work. While doing the research, she somehow got invited to a conference for HR professionals, where the presenter for the conference stated "It's Us against Them"!!!! Us is the HR department, which is there to protect the company!!! Them is you, the employee!!!! Don't drink the koolaid!!! Remember, HR is there to protect the company, not you.
10. Re:Easier headline... by JumperCable · 2012-07-23 15:56 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  He saw it in a movie.
What about ENTER interview? by stanlyb · 2012-07-23 12:27 · Score: 4, Insightful

Let be honest, you must lie at EVERY interview. Exit, Enter, Middle, Top, Bottom, Pointless, etc interview. You may NOT tell the truth. You MUST lie like...like politician. At the end of the day, all the HR do believe that you LIE. So why disappoint them?
1. Re:What about ENTER interview? by HornWumpus · 2012-07-23 12:33 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Not just at interviews. Whenever talking to a HR drone you should lie. e.g. Going to lunch? Yes (actually going to the titty bar).
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
2. Re:What about ENTER interview? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-23 12:34 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Maybe you must but that is only because once you lie once you are on a slippery slope. Take the high road and don't lie. Liars will win in the short game but honesty is the best strategy for the long game.
3. Re:What about ENTER interview? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-23 12:45 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  HR are part of the executive, disguised as employees, basically a corporate Trojan horse. Never trust HR. They are there to advance your employer's interests, not your interests. In all your dealings with HR, only ever do and say things that will advance your own interests.
4. Re:What about ENTER interview? by LordLimecat · 2012-07-23 13:05 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Is this the same slashdot crowd that gets all uppity when a politician lies?
  I smell the stench of hypocrisy in the air.
5. Re:What about ENTER interview? by blackbear · 2012-07-23 13:53 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I never lie at any interview, nor on my resume. However, I VERY carefully weigh what I say before saying it in order to manage perceptions. Of course one must be completely forthcoming during an interview, yet say very little. Otherwise they'll move on the next guy until they find one who fits their template. This next guy is going to have roughly the same skills as you unless one of you lied on your resume. If you've been honest on your resume, then it may as well be you that gets the job. It makes no difference to the company.
  During employment you must continue to manage your image. And above all, never actually try to make things better. You were hired to do a job and it wasn't to fix the company. This is true even if you were told otherwise by the owner himself. There is a reason things are the way they are. "Good enough" makes money, and the customer is buying the perception of quality. If the markets were truly free, and the customer well educated then the lowest price for the best quality would win. Instead, a million small emperrors buy new high-priced clothes every day while government, investors, and the tech press cheer them on. If you're the guy trying to tell your boss that what he sees is what he gets, then you're going to get fired. Because while you're telling your boss that he's being stupid, the "smart" people are telling him he's brilliant.
Be Nice You Might be hired back by BoRegardless · 2012-07-23 12:31 · Score: 3, Insightful

Happened to me when they ran out of people to do the work.
1. Re:Be Nice You Might be hired back by stanlyb · 2012-07-23 12:32 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Did you do the second exit interview the same way?
Depends who is doing the interview. by trout007 · 2012-07-23 12:34 · Score: 4, Insightful

If it is someone that can actually make changes be honest. If its an HR person forget it.

--
I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
Exit Interviews are always flowery by Taco+Cowboy · 2012-07-23 12:35 · Score: 5, Interesting

Say nothing but good things -
Tell the boss how good they are even tho they are the worst type of asshole in the universe
Thanks the co-workers for their generous help and guidance even tho they are clumsy back-stabbers
Give great praises the company even tho they are giving you the pink slip
That will make them happy, and happy people (often) do not find time to do more harm to you, leaving you plenty of peaceful time to look for new jobs

--
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
1. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-23 13:02 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Tell the boss how good they are even tho they are the worst type of asshole in the universe
  Ummm, no. Thousands times NO! In this instances say nothing. NOTHING!
  Positive feedback only feeds the trolls.
2. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by humanrev · 2012-07-23 13:07 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Ummm, no. Thousands times NO! In this instances say nothing. NOTHING!
  Positive feedback only feeds the trolls
  Not always possible or practical. If you're in an exit interview and you're asked for your opinion on how your boss treated you while you worked there (regardless of whether it's your own boss asking the questions or not), you can't just say nothing... uncomfortable silence is uncomfortable. You could try saying "I'd rather not answer that", but giving that kind of response tells plenty anyway. So, might as well be nice and lie through your teeth just so that you can part on reasonable terms. You never know if you'll run across your former boss in the future.
  
  --
  Most people on Slashdot are fucking idiots.
3. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by khasim · 2012-07-23 13:16 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  You never know if you'll run across your former boss in the future.
  Who cares unless he will be your boss in that future time.
  In which case, you already know how it's going to end so don't get stuck with him as a boss again.
  Just skip the exit interview and get on with your life.
4. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by TheGratefulNet · 2012-07-23 13:28 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  you can't just say nothing... uncomfortable silence is uncomfortable.
  that's your problem. work on avoiding having to give your power away.
  that's what is going on. they want to probe for weakness or reasons to 'mark you down badly'.
  nothing good comes from this. trust me. been working quite a long time in tech, in many of the top-named large and small companies. not once was an exit interview beneficial to ME. and I know for a fact that it has hurt me (a friend at a past job somehow got sight of my exit interview text and said that I was forever blackballed from returning to that place again).
  believe it.
  just say nothing or excuse yourself.
  its like getting questioned by a cop. nothing good can come from that. just say as little as you can and get the hell out of there as fast as you can.
  this is a no-win situation and they try to sell it as a way to 'fix' things that need fixing. there is zero truth to that, I assure you.
  please, for your own sake, bypass the exit interview. please. you will thank me years from now for this advice. I learned the hard way. you should not have to.
  
  --
  
  --
  "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
5. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by Sir_Sri · 2012-07-23 13:46 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Who cares unless he will be your boss in that future time.
  You care, because one thing you do not want to find out is that the person you are applying for a new job with knows someone who knows your old boss. For the same reason you don't bad mouth your old boss in a job interview - no potential future boss wants a whiner on their staff.
  My GF has a particularly bad boss, who, as it happens, is very well known in both the community and in their field. Guess how likely it is that they're going to get a call when my GF is looking for work.
  But yes, you hit the nail on the head with
  
  Just skip the exit interview and get on with your life.
  
  unless you have a very specific reason to help them improve, don't. E.g. if your job was never intended to be permanent and you're moving on to somewhere else then sure, you can gently provide generic feedback, but generally you're going to get yourself in trouble opening your mouth.
6. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by Enry · 2012-07-23 13:57 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Say nothing but good things -
  Tell the boss how good they are even tho they are the worst type of asshole in the universe
  Thanks the co-workers for their generous help and guidance even tho they are clumsy back-stabbers
  Give great praises the company even tho they are giving you the pink slip
  That will make them happy, and happy people (often) do not find time to do more harm to you, leaving you plenty of peaceful time to look for new jobs
  As a manager of highly technical staff (and highly technical myself) no.
  Granted, I've only been doing this for a few years, but I really do want feedback, and not just when you leave. I can't answer every problem you bring to me, but I can at least hear you out and make suggestions or see what I can do on your behalf. Telling me I'm the greatest person you ever worked for is the worst thing to say if it's not true - it makes me think I'm doing a good job when I'm not. I realize not all managers are like me, but I have to imagine that many of us want feedback, be it good or bad. I want to make sure that you as an employee succeed at whatever it is you want to do. If that means you feel like you have a better opportunity elsewhere then that's my loss. I'll still be a reference if I think you deserve it.
  Anyone want to work for me?
7. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by X0563511 · 2012-07-23 14:12 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I believe I would have no problems working for you, based on that. That said, I've had excellent bosses at terrible companies. There's more to it than your immediate supervisor.
  
  --
  For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
8. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by Sir_Sri · 2012-07-23 14:53 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  I've had it both ways. Sealed letters in academia can be ruthlessly honest "Do not take this person as a graduate student", but business references, ya they have to worry about defamation, where they seem like a bunch of MBA illiterate waffle.
  Even then, there are ways to say bad things without saying bad things. /. lets people post anonymously because people value their privacy (cough they're cowards and have something to hide cough) sort of thing. If you put someones name down as a reference you need to be absolutely sure they're not going to say something you don't like, because sometimes they can and will.
9. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by j00r0m4nc3r · 2012-07-23 14:54 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  they will be happy with you.
  
  I couldn't give a single fuck if they are happy with me or not. That cop is not your friend, no matter which side of the law you are on.
10. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by modecx · 2012-07-23 15:23 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Sure, if they are asking about YOU, then you have a justification to act cautiously. If they're asking if you saw so-and-so drinking the other night, not so much. Unless you want to protect so-and-so from the consequences of their actions.
  Oh, sure they could be asking about your friend, or whatever, probing to find out if you were in the vicinity of a rape which involved a rapist vaguely matching your description, where some young thing got slipped a date rape drug. Oops. Cops are legally allowed to lie to you, that does not go both ways.
  During an interview you could unknowingly confess to breaking laws you might not have the faintest clue actually existed in the first place; talking allows them to develop probable cause to search, issue warrants, etc. And if they somehow catch you in a lie, no matter how innocent, and they could all of a sudden be talking obstruction of justice charges and trying to put the screws to you.
  Talking to cops is how innocent people (you're guilty of something, though, I guarantee it) wind up in trouble. It virtually cannot benefit you, it is an unlevel playing field, and the only thing that makes some cops happy is fucking with people who think like you.
  
  --
  Constitutional rights may be respected, repealed, or modified; but they must never be ignored.
11. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by Auroch · 2012-07-23 15:38 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I've had it both ways. Sealed letters in academia can be ruthlessly honest "Do not take this person as a graduate student", but business references, ya they have to worry about defamation, where they seem like a bunch of MBA illiterate waffle.
  Even then, there are ways to say bad things without saying bad things. /. lets people post anonymously because people value their privacy (cough they're cowards and have something to hide cough) sort of thing. If you put someones name down as a reference you need to be absolutely sure they're not going to say something you don't like, because sometimes they can and will.
  Sealed letters in academia are notoriously easy to freeze, open, read, heat and re-seal. If you're at a level of academia where they do sealed letters (grad and above), you should be smart enough to know this...
  
  The best way for an employer to legally "not-recommend" you in a reference check is to leave a long, uncomfortable silence when the person asks about you.
  
  --
  Quartz Extreme and Core Image. Are there any other real reasons to spend all that money on generic hardware?
12. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by honestmonkey · 2012-07-23 15:46 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  I believe that this is what the person above was referring to:
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc
  
  You should never talk to the police, for any reason, other than to identify yourself. If something happens and you are a witness, or worse, involved in a crime, wait for the trial. Never tell the police anything. It NEVER benefits you.
  
  --
  Everything you know is wrong, Just forget the words and sing along.
13. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by XaXXon · 2012-07-23 15:51 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Sorry, but you are extremely wrong. The cops must always be treated as your enemy. You never know what their motives are and they can put you in jail.
14. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by GrpA · 2012-07-23 15:54 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I remember one exit interview when I was made redundant. I still remember my ex-boss saying "You know, it's OK to be unhappy about this, you really don't have to smile so much. It makes it feel like I'm doing you a favour by making you redundant"
  Which, in truth, he was.... And he already knew what I had to say about the company that wasn't so nice...
  So I convinced him that although the timing was less-than perfect, I would be fine and though he would do well. I have him advice on who could do what I did and completed a handover with him of my clients.
  Four years later, I forgot to erase them as a referee on my resume and applied for a job, which I got offered the same day. The reason? They called my former boss and said he gave such a solid reference that they had no doubt I was the best candidate they would find.
  Being honest in an exit interview has a point. Just remember to leave bitterness and vicious attitudes at the door and treat it with the professionalism it deserves, because it really is a step towards a career somewhere else.
  Good candidates have good resumes.
  Great candidates have good references from prior employers.
  Exceptional candidates have good references from the person who gave them the exit interview, because the employing company knows they will maintain their professionalism no matter how bad things get.
  GrpA
  
  --
  Enjoy science fiction? "Turing Evolved" - AI, Mecha, Androids and rail-gun battles. What more could you want?
15. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by Taco+Cowboy · 2012-07-23 16:00 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I can't answer every problem you bring to me, but I can at least hear you out and make suggestions or see what I can do on your behalf.
  Telling me I'm the greatest person you ever worked for is the worst thing to say if it's not true - it makes me think I'm doing a good job when I'm not. I realize not all managers are like me, but I have to imagine that many of us want feedback, be it good or bad.
  
  Dear Sir, You are an exception to the rule You may be that one gem out of the one gazillion rocks that genuinely want to hear the truth But my original advice still stands - for the rest of the 99.999999% of the bosses do not want to know the truth, and I ain't gonna want anyone to get hurt just because they thought truth is more important then their own future
  
  I disagree. I think that most people are happy to act on rational, substantiated and objective criticisms. I am, you are, and so is the OP.
  
  I am no longer young, and my decades of experience in office politics tells me that your ideals is blocking you from gaining a more thorough insight into true Human Nature
  
  --
  Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
16. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by tripleevenfall · 2012-07-23 16:08 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Most of the time today there is a standing HR policy that says they will only confirm dates of employment. The only thing I have heard differently is that my prior employer would say whether the person was "re-hireable" or not, if asked.
  As far as exit interviews go, if you do want to say something negative, it's good- as with any other time in the business world - to never say anything negative about an individual. You can usually get your point across without it.
17. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by AK+Marc · 2012-07-23 16:33 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I bad mouthed my boss in my most recent job interviews. It wasn't complaints, but statements about why I was unhappy there. "He was promoted from COO to CEO and, well, he made a good COO..." "Oh, and in the 9 months since I left, he managed to run the company such that it's bankrupt now."
  
  "The owner and CEO hired from two distinct job descriptions, and follows neither in evaluating my performance" (i.e. he yells at me and threatens to fire me for performing the duties in my job description according to my written KPIs because he changes his mind on a weekly basis how he wants the company run, and I'm supposed to read his mind and do what he is thinking, even when it directly contradicts my written goals and duties).
  
  Complaining "he makes me work too much" or "work is hard" is what most complaints are about. Mine were about lying bosses who run the companies out of business or don't know what they want well enough to tell me what they want, but want me to do what they are thinking without the resources or authority to do so.
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
18. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by No+Tears+In+The+End · 2012-07-23 17:12 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Law abiding citizens that work to help the community have nothing to fear from Uncle Leo.
  You, sir, are either dangerously naive or simply an upper-middle class white guy with no perspective. Law abiding citizens of color or lower economic status have plenty to fear from law enforcement.
  NTITE
  
  --
  
  -You can cry, but you'll still die. There'll be no tears in the end.
19. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by robthebloke · 2012-07-23 18:15 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  Who cares unless he will be your boss in that future time.
  I've seen someone rage quit, declare his boss a moron, before starting work at a rival company. Six months later the two companies merged, and he got his old boss back. Funnily enough, he was made redundant during the restructing process.
20. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by neyla · 2012-07-23 18:28 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  On the flipside, Norways laws on that issue are fun. There's very few (and enumerated in law) situations where they can withhold your paycheck. If neither of those applies, you can file for their bankruptcy. That tends to get their attention, to put it mildly.
  Bankruptcy-filings are public - they must be afterall, because all creditors of a company has a legitimate need to know. And if there's one kind of headline that companies would like to -avoid- in the newspapers then it's headlines of the "Acme files for bankruptcy, unable to make payroll."
  The logic is that since everyone know they -should- pay you your salary, the only reasonable explanation for them not doing that is that they -can't- and if they are unable to meet their financial obligations they are, by definition, bankrupt.
21. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by overlordofmu · 2012-07-23 18:30 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  The only argument you give is a single anecdote and only credential you give is revving engines at hate addicts.
  
  You have entirely failed to convince me. However, this law professor and police detective have me convinced of their argument.
  
  Don't Talk to Cops, Part 1 -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik
  Don't Talk to Cops, Part 2 -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08fZQWjDVKE
  
  (I realize that forty-eight minutes of video versus your seventy-five words is certainly not balanced but you have the ability to respond if you something more to add. Sorry, some lessons don't fit into a tweet.)
22. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by Grishnakh · 2012-07-23 18:34 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Yep, it probably depends on the company. Big companies tend to have very strict policies about this, because they have a LOT to lose in a defamation lawsuit. Plus, big companies tend to be smarter about many things IME, in a ruthless kind of way. How does it help the company to tell the truth about some employee who quit (or was terminated)? What exactly do they have to gain from it? Nothing at all, but they have everything to lose: defamation lawsuit, going postal and coming to the old employer with an assault rifle, tear gas, and a gas mask, etc. It's much safer for them to just let the bad (in their opinion) employee go on about his life without any interference from them, and maybe they'll even get lucky and one of their competitors will hire him.
  In smaller companies, it's easy to see how some egocentric person would want to make an ex-employee's life miserable, and as smaller companies haven't created policies about every single thing to cover their asses from lawsuits, they get away with it.
23. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by neyla · 2012-07-23 18:49 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  None of this is universally true. But most of it is at least close to true for many people in USA. That's the unsurprising result of weak worker-protection laws, a government that is more or less company-owned, weak or non-existant labour-organization and high unemployment.
  Of course any suggestion for improving any of the above is stamped as "socialist" and discarded. Meanwhile 93 cents out of every $1 of increas in national income over the last decade went to the top 1%.
24. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by Grishnakh · 2012-07-23 18:49 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Sorry, but he's right about the cops. The cops in this country are pretty bad; their whole job is to help prosecute as many people as possible, in conjunction with the DA whose mission it is to do so, because it makes him look "tough on crime". This is all part of the prison-industrial complex. Remember, we lead the world in incarceration per capita, and the cops are a big reason behind it. This isn't like some nice, peaceful country in western Europe where the cops are only there to keep the peace.
  Don't forget, we used to call cops "peace officers", and they wore blue. Not any more. They wear black now, and we call them "law enforcement officers" now; pretty soon, we'll probably just call them "enforcers". The cops are far more militarized than they used to be as well.
  The cops cannot be trusted.
  That said, the poster above is correct; if they're looking for information on someone else who has nothing to do with you (except that you happened to be a witness), it's probably safe to tell them everything you saw. The only people you have to fear in that case are the possible criminal and his associates, not the cops. But if they're questioning you about something you may have done, call your lawyer. They're probably looking for a way to put you in jail.
25. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by HnT · 2012-07-24 00:25 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Even then, there are ways to say bad things without saying bad things
  There is a particular "code" used in references or certificates of employment you get when leaving your job here in central Europe - basically employers are not allowed to hinder you from finding a new job in any way, so they cannot say anything bad; instead they rely on very subtle differences and certain phrases to the point where you can read about this "code" in books and hear about it in trainings. An example would be saying you "always tried to do a good job", which sounds alright, right? But the code here is that is does not say "you always did an absolutely outstanding excellent job" so what they were actually saying is "you were frakking horrible", you never really did anything (hence "tried to.."). In another examples, there are certain key phrases, so if they are saying that you "always associated with your fellow employees" or something like that, then that can mean you are a mean drunk and/or sexually harassed colleagues. And there are techniques to leave things out, like not mentioning you were always polite to your superiors and customers but you were to your colleagues, then that could mean there were issues there.
  See also:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_reference_letter#Language
  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbeitszeugnis#Zeugniscode
  
  --
  "Only one thing is impossible for God: To find any sense in any copyright law on the planet." - Mark Twain
26. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by networkBoy · 2012-07-24 04:48 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  My dad worked for Douglas Aircraft, and was laid off. Got a job at McDonnell Aircraft. Two years or so later they merged and my dad became his former boss's boss. How's that for a flip.
  Always treat people with respect, you really don't know what will happen in the future.
  My Sensi was telling us a story the other day how some years ago he didn't see another car and cut someone off.
  When they pulled up to a light, right as the other person was getting ready to tell him off, my sensi apologized about how he was sooo sorry and was glad he didn't cause an accident, then opened a 12 pack of Coke he just bought and tossed the guy one.
  Two weeks later the guy shows up in class to pick up his kid, and recognizes Sensi as "that guy who gave me a Coke" not "That jackass that cut me off".
  -nB
  
  --
  whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
27. Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery by jeko · 2012-07-24 06:50 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Marry into a cop family and the world works VERY differently ;)
  There. Right. There. That's the problem. The favoritism you describe is EXACTLY the corruption we're all complaining about, and is a direct violation of the oath your law enforcement friends took.
  "On my honor,
  I will never betray my badge,
  my integrity, my character,
  or the public trust.
  I will always have
  the courage to hold myself
  and others accountable for our actions.
  I will always uphold the constitution,
  my community and the agency I serve."
  "Professional courtesy" and the "Blue Wall" ARE the problem, and the routine instances of corruption you wink at, like letting another cop's wife slide on a speeding ticket, eventually lead to letting her slide on a DUI, and then to looking the other way when her husband beats some little girl into a coma.
  
  --
  He put his boots up on the table and made a face. "The sig," he smirked. "You can waste your life in search of the sig."
I disagree by GrahamCox · 2012-07-23 12:39 · Score: 5, Interesting

I have to disagree. Being honest can serve two purposes: a) it can be extremely satisfying, if you have had a very bad time of things and they are coming to an end, and b) it can highlight bad managers or other employees that have caused you so much grief and they might be reined in so that they don't continue to make life hell for others.

I had an appallingly bad manager some time ago who made my life hell with his ultra-micromanagment and his constant snooping. He finally drove me to leave and there was a bit of a showdown - I wouldn't exactly call it an exit interview but his boss was there. I told him exactly what I thought of him and why he was such a bad manager. I think he was actually surprised that his 'style' caused so much friction. Interestingly (though too late) several people came forward afterwards and told me they had had the same experiences with the same guy, and had asked for transfers to get away from him. My response of leaving was more extreme, but driven by the same problems. I heard a few weeks later he did get moved (not fired, unfortunately) and given a role that did not involve direct people-management. So these things can have a positive result for those you leave behind.
1. Re:I disagree by Gordo_1 · 2012-07-23 13:16 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  That's not an exit interview. An exit interview is conducted by some HR flunky who has no real sway over anything. They're just doing their job and that typically involves recording your parting thoughts in your employee file. As the OP recommends, nothing particularly good will come to you as a result of being honest in an exit interview. Just smile and be friendly with the HR droid. You never know when you'll need a reference in the future and some anonymous HR person you never worked with looks up your file only to find a diatribe of complaints.
  If you need a cathartic release, you're better off to go home and bash a printer with a baseball bat or something.
2. Re:I disagree by TheGratefulNet · 2012-07-23 13:40 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  very uncommon experience.
  you had your one. don't expect another in your lifetime.
  
  --
  
  --
  "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
The Breakup by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-23 12:39 · Score: 5, Funny

Baby, it's not me, it's you. If you'd have treated me better, I'd stay but this has been going on for too long.
Look, I've already begun seeing someone else and I don't want to cheat on you. Let's still be friends. Really, there's someone out there in this big world who is just right for you but that's not me. I really want you to be happy but I want to be happy too. I gotta go. I'll pick up my things later.
Ask for money. by Ryanrule · 2012-07-23 12:42 · Score: 4, Insightful

Advice is not free.
I disagree by DeDmeTe · 2012-07-23 12:44 · Score: 5, Interesting

I had a worthless boss at a job I left, I requested an exit interview with the head of HR. They didn't normally do exit interviews, but I had been there for 6 years, so they wanted to know why I was leaving. Took a few months after I left to find time for a meeting, but I laid it all out. How I felt, why I left... 2 months later I got a call to come back. They fired my old boss after I opened their eyes to the BS he was pulling. I went back.. with a nice raise and a $4k signing "bonus". It works in certain cases. YMMV.

--
-Guns kill people like spoons made Rosie O'Donnell fat-
Sometimes it does good by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-23 12:46 · Score: 5, Interesting

I worked for the biggest jerk in the world, and when I quit, I told H/R the things he had done to me, and urged them to not just take my word but to ask around.
Later that week, they fired him and escorted him out (not typical there).
The next day, my former coworkers had a going-away party for him, but they didn't invite him (and they did invite me).
Was nice once by Killer+Instinct · 2012-07-23 12:52 · Score: 5, Interesting

I gave a good honest exit interview when i left my first fulltime software job.. Wasnt a asshole, and kept it professional, mixed in what i didnt like and what i thought they did real well. The company has hired me back 3 times. Did the same thing at all 4 exit interviews, and maybe if i ever need a job again (with this market one never knows) i will get hired back, and that is worth a lot to me personally. But theres been a couple other places i burned the bridge down from shore to shore, not even a splinter left. Assholes had it coming....and i delivered.
-KI

--
#include bier;
Only if there's severance pay involved... by Angst+Badger · 2012-07-23 13:38 · Score: 5, Insightful

...and then be blandly pleasant. Otherwise, just don't do it. What are they going to do, fire you?
I'm always amused at the naive goodwill that people extend to their employers. Most of us live in at-will states, without unions, and without any real workers' rights that can be exercised without spending more than they're worth retaining counsel. These are the people who can fire you at any time for any reason, but they want two weeks' warning if you leave on your own. Why give them extra freebies?
Look, forget the employer-employee bullshit. You are a vendor, selling a service. Your employer is a customer. As long as they're buying what you're selling at the best price you can get (which includes work conditions and perceived job security as well as pay and benefits), the customer is always right. As soon as they stop buying, or you find someone willing to pay more, then go attend to your new customer. The old customer wants to take more of your time for free? Politely decline. You're running a business -- you -- and the only point in giving something away free is if it leads to another sale.
Don't bother with work ethic or pride in your job at this point. Those are good concepts and they have their place, but that place is well before anyone starts talking about exit interviews. If you're leaving voluntarily, they treated you well, and you feel like extending the courtesy, sure. But even then, don't say anything that can be used against you later. It's just business, and that's how they see it. Go and do likewise.

--
Proud member of the Weirdo-American community.
Re:Exit Interviews are always flowery - updated by MightyMartian · 2012-07-23 13:58 · Score: 5, Funny

This message brought to you by the Richard M. Nixon Center for Career Planning.

--
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
A very wise manager once told me. by codepunk · 2012-07-23 15:47 · Score: 4, Insightful

A extremely wise manager once told me, people do not quit their jobs, they fire their bad managers.

--

Got Code?
Re:Wish I could've had one at HP by jsm18 · 2012-07-23 16:09 · Score: 5, Funny

Let it go Carly.
Move somewhere that hates them... by digitalsolo · 2012-07-24 01:12 · Score: 3, Interesting

I was very unhappy at my old job (with management). I was polite in my exit interview, but certainly did not give them any praise, including the people conducting the interview. I had no concern about the repercussions, simply because the company I was moving from was hated in the industry, and the company I was moving to had a long history of disagreement with them.

In this case, the management of the company I was leaving telling the new company that I was "not a team player" and all the other drivel serves me better than a glowing review. Of course, it's worth noting that I had been a liaison to the new company prior to moving there, so they already knew I was a hard worker and competent.

--
Just another ignorant American.
The only place I've ever seen it done right by BenEnglishAtHome · 2012-07-24 01:58 · Score: 4, Interesting

I used to work at a place where the local director was the absolute power king over every employee, every division, every task in the geographic area. He had to report up the line to someone from a different city, but if it happened in or around Houston he was responsible for it. Call him a "choke point" if you like but there was no "stovepiping" in the organization. Such would be impossible since he knew everything that was going on.
He also knew every name of all 2000 of his employees, their spouses names, and most of their kids names. The guy was amazing to work for and almost no one ever left.
Anyone who did leave (most via retirement) got an hour of his time. It was an unstructured time. He asked few if any questions. Anything you said was heard by the only person in the place who could unilaterally fix any problem. He was there to thank you for your years of service and hear anything you had to say.
Understand, please, that this was a guy who fixed problems. I once saw him suspend an entire working group for a day and send them home because of the way they had treated a retail customer. He then called all the first and mid-level managers in that department and ordered them to drive in from their outlying offices, stand at the counter, and serve the walk-in customers for the rest of the week while he personally conducted customer service training for the suspended employees. Sweetest guy you'd ever want to meet but, boyohboy, he could kick ass when he was forced.
Given all that, not much changed after he heard an exit interview because few people had witnessed enough continuing bad behavior to warrant a change. Still, the few bad managers we had would try, years in advance, to transfer out employees who were nearing retirement. If you were a jerk boss and you let someone retire out of your group, The Director would hear about you. And you would, quite likely, find yourself demoted to working alongside the people you used to boss around. If he was told about a real equipment safety problem, you'd see him talking to the maintenance guys and their boss, personally, to find out how to fix it. If he was told that the paper workflow in a certain place was screwy, you'd see him drop in to shadow some low-level employee for a day.
Hell, he shadowed two field employees per year for an entire day of public interaction out of general principle. Truly a great guy.
That was a quarter-century ago. I realize times are different now and people are much more mobile. No executive could spend an hour with everyone who leaves; there aren't enough hours in the day. Thus, exit interviews, even if they happen, are conducted by an HR drone.
Exit interviews to an HR department are a waste of time. Exit interviews with the big boss can be something completely different.