Sometimes it’s awkward when employees leave an organization. If there was an underlying issue driving their exit, both sides might just want to get the whole thing over with. While this is understandable, you should never overlook the importance of a properly executed exit interview.
Anna Zhang, Head of Marketing at U7BUY, notes: “If an employee is leaving, the damage is already done. You may not be able to convince them to stay, but an exit interview will help you uncover the reasons for their departure as well as information that might come in handy in helping you improve your organizational culture.”Â
In addition to the perceived awkwardness of conducting exit interviews with former team members, most smaller to medium-sized businesses just don’t have the HR resources to devote to things like this.Â
This is where virtual assistants (VAs) can step in, offering specialized support for offboarding and other similarly important business processes. Here are six reasons why we think you should trust VAs with your exit interviews.Â
1. Objective and Unbiased Communication
Using a VA to handle your exit interviews is a great way to manage the awkwardness that can come with this process.Â
Since VAs are typically neutral third parties, they won’t have the same sense of familiarity with departing staff that an existing staff member might have.Â
This can help create a sense of neutrality that allows the departing employee to share honest feedback. The result will likely be richer, more honest data that HR can actually use to improve processes.
Eric Do Couto, Head of Marketing at Visualping, explains: “Employees tend to open up more when they’re not talking to someone tied to office politics. External services and resources can be a great way to eliminate distractions and create the ideal environment for honest feedback.”
2. Flexible Scheduling Across Time Zones
Remote teams are a rising trend, but if you’ve got a remote team spread around multiple time zones, you’ll know that scheduling meetings can be quite tricky.Â
When you throw in a leaving employee who has less incentive to make themselves available to you, this can get even trickier.
Fortunately, scheduling conflicts can be resolved simply by hiring a VA with a flexible schedule or in a proximate time zone to the leaving employee.Â
3. Cost-Effective Support for Lean HR Teams
If you run a small or moderately sized organization, arguably the greatest reason to hire a VA is that it makes more financial sense than hiring a full-time HR staff or team.Â
An executive assistant staffing agency can match you with VAs who already have HR or interviewing experience, which means you won’t have to invest much more in onboarding and training for them.Â
Adrian Iorga, Founder & President at 617 Boston Movers points out: “Cost-cutting measures like hiring a VA can often be the difference between survival and packing up for a small business. Working with VAs who already have the right skills can allow businesses to get exactly the expertise needed for specific situations, exactly when it’s needed, without the ongoing expense of a full-time hire”
4. Strong Administrative and Data Management Skills
Beyond conducting exit interviews, VAs typically possess a range of helpful skills and competencies. They may be skilled at transcribing interviews, providing business insights through actionable analysis, and maintaining organized and accessible exit reports.
This ensures feedback isn’t just collected. It will process in a way that makes it useful to business leaders both in the present and in the future.Â
5. Scalable Support During High Turnover
Some businesses, like those in hospitality, can go through periods of high turnover. In those periods, you’re certainly going to need more hands on deck, but it wouldn’t make sense to hire permanent staff.
This is exactly the sort of problem executive staffing agencies exist to fulfil. With the help of a reputable executive staffing agency, you’ll be able to find trustworthy VAs that can then be quickly onboarded to handle increased exit interview volume
6. Frees Up Core HR for Strategic Work
If you’re running a small business, you may not have an HR team at all, and you’d certainly need the help of a VA. But even if you do have an HR team, you might still need some VA help at certain moments in running your business.
With VAs managing the operational side of exit interviews, your in-house HR staff can focus on more technical tasks like trend analysis, retention strategy, and culture improvement.
Conclusion
Partnering with an executive assistant staffing agency ensures organizations find VAs with the right mix of professionalism, confidentiality, and experience to handle sensitive HR conversations effectively.
For further tips on managing the offboarding process for departing staff, here’s our guide to resolving legal challenges and pay disputes.
Guest writer
