Employee Turnover and the Exit Interview
JAMES G. NEAL
ABSTRACT
EMPLOYEETURNOVER IS AN important measure of the health of an
organization. All libraries should implement a three-step program of
turnover management: the collection and analysis of data on turnover
patterns, the identification of those factors contributing to turnover in
the library through organization of a formal exit interview program,
and implementation of remedial actions which address the main causes
of turnover. This article focuses on the exit interview as an effective tool
for documenting the causes of turnover in a library and for influencing
management action. The exit interview must be basedupon a standard-
ized format, assure employee confidentiality, employ talented inter-
viewing staff, involve periodic assessment of effectiveness, and provide
for routine feedback to management.
INTRODUCTION
Libraries, despite a significant dependence on human resources
and the substantial costs of personnel replacement, continue to operate
without effective employee turnover management programs. Staff
turnover-that
is, the termination of employees and the hiring of other
individuals to replace them-is a complex phenomenon requiring a
systematic view and an awareness of many variables within both the
work and external environments. Managers in all types and sizes of
libraries must expand their understanding of the turnover process and
its impact on the employee, the work group, the library, and the larger
library community.
James G. Neal, University Libraries, The Pennsylvania State University, E505 Pattee
Library, University Park, PA 16802
LIBRARY TRENDS, Vol. 38, No. 1, Summer 1989, pp. 32-39
0 1989 The Board of Trustees, University of Illinois
NEAL/EMPLOYEE TURNOVER AND EXIT INTERVIEW
33
EMPLOYEETURNOVER
Turnover is characterized by two key variables: job satisfaction and
opportunity. Job satisfaction, the “push” of internal organizational
factors, is the extent to which employees have positive and affective
att