When a New Hire Quits Unexpectedly!

HR here. If you're not asking why, you're doing yourself an in-service. You can't improve your employee experience (and hopefully retention metrics) without knowing why people are leaving.

Yes I always like to know why people leave. If there is something for one to improve upon- I would like to know

I’d want to know why.

I work for a large company, and talent retention is something I am responsible for. So I will need something to work with when I report up that I've lost someone, new or tenured. Maybe it was outside of my control, or maybe I got feedback that we need to provide x, y, or z to retain talent. I want to hear what upper management should hear, as I am in the middle.

Often there is nothing much to hear in these moments with a recent hire: Unless you really messed up and they did not understand the nature of the job, or you have a really toxic dynamic on the team (which you should probably already know about) then they might have had changing priorities or a better offer. Sometimes your role was Plan B for them, and A came through or C became A. That's just the way it is. Always have the appropriate person ask, openly and respectfully, but don't necessarily expect to always get an answer that needs to inform your choices. Sometimes it is simply a personal decision or the nature of the job search.

I left a job after 7 months because all the people hated their working environment. It was a Fortune 500 company and we were all engineers. They didn't even provide coffee or tea because they were that cheap. They had a coffee vending machine like you would see at an old car dealership that collected coins before dispensing. I told HR and my manager that their environment was bad and more people were miserable than they were letting on. Their response was to go into denial. The funny part is when people found out I gave notice they all asked where I was going. lol I left for a company that provided 3 squares and a Starbucks experience for more money. Never looked back.

I always request an exit interview. I believe it’s the most honest feedback you will receive because the person doesn’t care about their role in the company and will likely be completely honest. It’s expensive to hire and onboard so if I can prevent high turnover it’s best

I would have preferred to have casual chat to uncover valuable insights into the company culture, management style, or even potential issues with the role itself.

You need to ask why, how and what. Why is he leaving unexpectedly, how did it transpire and what can you do to help him stay. Once you get the answers you dont throw those notes ( which most do ) but rather call out the negatives.