There are apparently some rules regarding the conduct of exit interviews when an employee (or volunteer in the case of firefighters/EMTs) leaves the position. Those don't always occur and, in some cases, could become an adversarial encounter depending upon circumstances involved.
Trustee Jim Langer has, I think, an excellent idea and that is requiring exit interviews and requiring that those be done by the human resource director.
I'd hope for there to be some caveats included:
The exit interview would be recorded (audio at least) from start to finish and the tapes would become public records. The interviews would follow an agreed upon routine with all interview guidelines and questions published as part of the village policy statement concerning employment or volunteer positions such as those in the fire department. The person being interviewed would have the right to be represented by counsel by providing notice prior to the hearing to that effect. These new policies and procedures would supersede any and all existing policies and procedures.
All people who leave an organization leave for at least one reason and often more than one reason. Those retiring may elect to retire early for some reason. Those being terminated should have the opportunity to state their opinions and vent their grievances. Those who have found a better job may be able to offer ideas or thoughts that will be helpful to the village in the future.
Exit interviews can be rewarding to both parties, one party or neither party. That is simply the way it is. But, there is a certain check and balance process that is triggered through exit interviews. If, for example, one department loses three people in short order and if each has similar complaints that they claim led to their decision to leave, some initial conclusions might be drawn. Leaders might conclude that there is a need to counsel the department head or to review compensation tables or any of a number of other things.
Exit interviews should be done by a person as disinterested as possible since the immediate superior may be the reason for the departure. The recordings will, ideally, establish the full story of the departing person. That story may be simple 'sour grapes', or it may point to very real issues needing resolution. The weight of multiple departures with the same 'sour grapes' reason(s) claimed as part of the cause should serve to point to a possible problem even though it sounds like 'sour grapes'.
Our village relies on relatively few people to make it work. The loss of a key person can be problematic. The loss of several people at the lower rungs can be problematic. The loss of volunteers can be problematic. The loss of anyone should give leadership the reason to pause and reflect. Was there some underlying issue that could've caused the loss to be avoided? If pay scales are the issue, then there may be a need to review that structure if we expect to be able to continue to attract solid performers. If management styles are the issue, then village leaders need to reflect on those and make adjustments to avoid that becoming a continuing issue. Managers can be 'in the dark' about their personal management styles, and exit interviews can help focus their own attention on personal shortcomings.
There is, inherently, relatively lower turn-over in villages and cities than in the private sector workplace. Once one is employed by the Village of Germantown, for example, there is a clear set of expectations, there is a decent income, there are good benefit programs, there is stability of employment, and there is a decent working environment. Turn-over rates of 15% to 20% are not at all unusual in the private sector, and yet those rates are unheard of in the public sector where 5% to 7% or even less might be closer to the norm.
We all want Germantown to be a good place in which to live and work, and we cannot reach and maintain that 'nirvana' unless those who help keep everything working as we expect also see Germantown as being a good place to live and work.
Exit interviews such as described above will certainly help us get to and stay at that point.
