Before taking new job, exit gracefully

In case you have recently got a job offer, make sure you collect your relieving letter before you join the company. Also, do not take your exit interview for granted, says a recent survey by TeamLease Services, a recruitment firm. The survey revealed that 92 per cent of the employees and managements across all industries take exit policies seriously. The survey also shows that while recruiting, over 90 per cent of the companies stress on a relieving letter.

The study, called ‘Impactful Exits’ surveyed around 800 people across eight cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

“Employees are recognizing that the labour markets are small and ungraceful exits come back with compound interest later. Adherence to a professional and clean exit is increasingly being witnessed in the work force today. But we don’t anticipate relieving certificates becoming a deal breaker for new employers until the skill crisis eases,” said Surabhi Mathur Gandhi, senior vice-president, IT Sourcing, TeamLease Services.

The objective of the research was to understand the employees’ seriousness about the exit process and assessing the processes at various companies. The study aimed to evaluate the importance of having the exit policy in place and its impact. As far as the city-specific figures are concerned, 99 per cent of employees in Chennai and Bengaluru take the exit policy seriously. In Kolkata and Ahmedabad, the figure is 95 per cent, followed by Pune with 94 per cent. Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai stand at 92, 89 and 85 per cent respectively.

Apurva Sanaria, group director (HR & OD), IMRB International, said quit a firm for various reasons and exit interview plays a crucial role in understanding those reasons. “With job-hopping becoming a trend, it is important to retain good staff. At the same time, you get relevant inputs about an employee’s reason for leaving only during the exit interview.” Sanaria said at IMRB, as a company policy, a candidate cannot be given the appointment letter until he presents the relieving letter from his last firm.

TCS officials say the firm follows the exit procedure quite seriously. Bhushan Surve, assistant manager (HR), TCS, said, “Depending upon the reason stated by the employee, the HR can offer him/her options and retain the employee.”

The study also says that barring eight per cent of companies that conduct exit interviews online, most prefer a face-to-face interaction. In Pune, 71 per cent exit interviews are conducted manually, five per cent online and 24 per cent firms follow both. The survey points out that the top two reasons for a person leaving the company are growth opportunities and higher salaries.

Gautam Bhatara, who recently joined Reebok as area sales manager for Maharashtra and Goa after working for over three years at Tata Capital Ltd, has a different opinion about exit interviews and relieving letters. He feels that for many companies, exit interviews are a mere formality. “Not all companies are rigid about relieving letter. Some are willing to give a prospective employee extra time,” adds Bhatara, who made the switch as he wanted to shift from a finance-based company to a product-based one.

Source : INDIAN EXPRESS