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Liz used the past tense to describe the environment in which the manager previously held power over the employee - but the imbalance continues even after giving

Liz used the past tense to describe the environment in which the manager previously held power over the employee - but the imbalance continues even after giving notice and leaving. The employee needs to not burn bridges. They need to walk on eggshells through the exit interview. They need to maintain this secrecy long after leaving! There's a lot that I would love to tell my past managers. Stuff I might tell a trusted co-worker over drinks, or would only tell non-work friends and family, because I know people who have been burned by opening their mouth and being too honest. If you're a company owner or a manager with a lot of sway in your company and want to fix this, here are a couple tips: 1. Be transparent and honest: criticize yourself and your company when you deserve it, in emails or memos, not just verbally. A culture that tolerates introspection and criticism is more likely to tolerate external criticism. 2. Do not be completely honest and transparent when discussing occasional failures of past employees: it's all too easy to remember mistakes and forget the thousand times they got it right. Make sure that your current employees will know they will be spoken of positively after they leave. 3. Make sure that your employees are friends with each other (and yourself, if possible) outside of work. Everyone needs friends, it's hard to make friends as an adult, and even Gallup uses "do you have friends at work" as an indicator of company health. This will mean that employees will have social conversations during and around work: this is good, they will be more productive if work is a happy place and not sterile, and the cost of a few minutes here and there is much less than having unhappy, lonely people trudging through the work day. If they are trustworthy friends they will be able to communicate honestly. 4. If you are told something negative, don't take it out on them, fix the problem!

fred_is_fred 8y ago
You don't need to walk on eggshells in an exit interview. You can decline it or if that seems rude you answer like an athlete after a game. I've said "it was just time to move on to something new" about a dozen times in the last one I did, rather than "my bosses boss doesn't think I add any value and he lives in another country so I don't know if I can change that opinion, nor do I really want to spend 2 years trying to do so".
- ctvo 8y ago
  >> You don't need to walk on eggshells in an exit interview While walking on eggshells: >> I've said "it was just time to move on to something new" about a dozen times in the last one I did Possible outcomes being honest in an exit interview: - You help the company you're leaving improve its processes and culture - You burn bridges by hurting feelings of people in your industry - You may harm the chances of a rehire - You may harm the chances of a bad reference Out of that list, the only way to get the first outcome is to create a culture of good will where the employee WANTS to help or feels safe enough to help without fearing reprisal. It's not easy to accomplish and in most instances people will err on being polite.
  - joezydeco 8y ago
    You may harm the chances of a bad reference Unless you work in an incredibly close-knit field where everybody knows everybody else, this is a myth and it needs to stop propagating. You can choose references from personal friends and co-workers that will stress your positive results. The company as whole will never say anything positive or negative for fear of legal reprisal. If you worked for a bad actor, then burn the bridge and don't worry about retribution via reference checks.
    - CtrlAltT5wpm 8y ago
      >The company as whole will never say anything positive or negative for fear of legal reprisal. It may depend on the field, yes, but this doesn't reflect what I've seen. From my view, unless you're on the lowest rungs of a monster field like retail, most fields tend to be small, and get smaller the longer you're in, as you're transitioning to being a long-timer. People know each other, and people talk. Even if the company itself will never say anything positive or negative, the people within talk to each other. It's incredibly easy to reach out on 'unofficial channels' to find some bits of information, and suddenly, a promising prospect never pans out. As for legal liability, all you know is that you were never hired; if you're lucky, you get a 'we found a more suitable candidate.' As far as liability is concerned, it's easy to sidestep.
    - 8y ago

fred_is_fred 8y ago

You don't need to walk on eggshells in an exit interview. You can decline it or if that seems rude you answer like an athlete after a game. I've said "it was just time to move on to something new" about a dozen times in the last one I did, rather than "my bosses boss doesn't think I add any value and he lives in another country so I don't know if I can change that opinion, nor do I really want to spend 2 years trying to do so".

ctvo 8y ago
>> You don't need to walk on eggshells in an exit interview While walking on eggshells: >> I've said "it was just time to move on to something new" about a dozen times in the last one I did Possible outcomes being honest in an exit interview: - You help the company you're leaving improve its processes and culture - You burn bridges by hurting feelings of people in your industry - You may harm the chances of a rehire - You may harm the chances of a bad reference Out of that list, the only way to get the first outcome is to create a culture of good will where the employee WANTS to help or feels safe enough to help without fearing reprisal. It's not easy to accomplish and in most instances people will err on being polite.
- joezydeco 8y ago
  You may harm the chances of a bad reference Unless you work in an incredibly close-knit field where everybody knows everybody else, this is a myth and it needs to stop propagating. You can choose references from personal friends and co-workers that will stress your positive results. The company as whole will never say anything positive or negative for fear of legal reprisal. If you worked for a bad actor, then burn the bridge and don't worry about retribution via reference checks.
  - CtrlAltT5wpm 8y ago
    >The company as whole will never say anything positive or negative for fear of legal reprisal. It may depend on the field, yes, but this doesn't reflect what I've seen. From my view, unless you're on the lowest rungs of a monster field like retail, most fields tend to be small, and get smaller the longer you're in, as you're transitioning to being a long-timer. People know each other, and people talk. Even if the company itself will never say anything positive or negative, the people within talk to each other. It's incredibly easy to reach out on 'unofficial channels' to find some bits of information, and suddenly, a promising prospect never pans out. As for legal liability, all you know is that you were never hired; if you're lucky, you get a 'we found a more suitable candidate.' As far as liability is concerned, it's easy to sidestep.
  - 8y ago