Policy Scope:

This policy affects all police officers, police staff, community support officers and special constables leaving the organisation for reasons other than retirement, either on age or medical grounds.
The term 'member of staff' is used throughout to refer to police officers, police staff, community support officers and special costables collectively.

Policy Aims and Objectives:

South Yorkshire Police is firmly committed to the provision of a good working environment for its staff.  However, it is acknowledged that for a variety of reasons, people will leave the service, some after a relatively short time and others after many years of employment.

 The aim of the Exit Interview policy and process is to improve retention, recruitment and workforce planning strategies by establishing a system of monitoring and reviewing staff turnover trends, and to address any issues raised by members of staff who are leaving the organisation.  This information can then be used to influence management decisions, set organisational and local policy, enhance employee relations and help to create and retain a diverse workforce.

The objectives of this policy are:

• To inform reviews, good practice, policy making and organisational improvement at a force wide and local level.
• To identify trends at a local and force wide level, particularly in relation to groups leaving which may cause concern.
• To identify and bring to the attention of District Commanders and Departmental Heads where there may have been inappropriate practices.
• To identify and share areas of good practice where the organisation meets the needs of its employees.
• To provide management information that contributes to diversity monitoring.  This will aid compliance with the monitoring aspects of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 in relation to conducting ethnic monitoring in employment where employment ceases.
• To establish if any issues can be resolved which may prevent the individual from leaving the organisation. 

 The aims and objectives of the policy will be achieved by:

• Providing all staff leaving the organisation with the opportunity to provide honest constructive feedback without fear of detriment.
• Ensuring that all staff leaving the organisation are aware of the exit interview procedure, and are encouraged either to have an exit interview or complete an exit questionnaire.
• Ensuring that line managers and staff in local HR departments know their responsibilities in relation to the exit interview process.
• Ensuring that the information gained from the questionnaire is monitored regularly and communicated to relevant parties to act upon.

Associated Procedural Instructions:

This policy is supported by the following procedural instructions:

Notification of intention to leave

Individuals terminating their employment on grounds other than retirement (age or medical) should complete an exit questionnaire and forward it to their local HR department.

The exit questionnaire is available as a template (ADM/20) in Word.  The ADM20 may be completed on the computer or printed and completed by hand.  It should then be sent directly to the local HR Manager. 

Interviews and questionnaires should be completed as soon as possible after it is known that an individual is leaving the organisation. This may:

• allow a manager to address issues which will prevent the employee leaving;
• allow the district or department to review its staffing needs before recruitment;
• allow the district or department to review the role, with input from an experienced post holder, to ensure that the role profile is still relevant.

HR Manager's Responsibilities

The local HR Manager is responsible for ensuring that they have received an ADM20 exit questionnaire for all individuals who submit their intention to leave the organisation through any other means than retirement.  The ADM20 also allows the individual to state who they would like to carry out the exit interview (see exit interview section below.)  Where they have indicated anyone other than their line manager, the HR Manager should ensure that the exit interview is arranged and carried out. 

The Exit Interview

Where the leaver is willing to have an exit interview, this should be with someone with whom he/she will feel able to speak frankly.   In some instances, this may be the line manager; however, the HR Manager should offer the leaver an interview with a member of local HR staff or an appropriate alternative, if he/she is not comfortable with the line manager carrying out the interview.  It is important to establish with whom the leaver would feel comfortable.  This may be a member of a support group such as a trade union/staff association representative, the Women’s Management Group, the Black Police Association, a first contact advisor or a member of staff from the diversity unit.  A member of staff from one of these groups may carry out the interview on behalf of the force or may offer the leaver support during the interview.    

The individual (interviewee) should complete the exit questionnaire and bring it to the exit interview, as the questionnaire should form the basis of the discussion.  This will ensure that all the appropriate information is captured, whilst at the same time providing the leaver with the opportunity to raise any issues that he/she feels to be relevant or of concern.

Groups of leavers causing concern

The wastage rates for the police service as a whole are comparatively low.  However, South Yorkshire Police is committed to creating a diverse workforce that represents the community it serves, and it is important to understand why some groups are leaving, particularly when they are under represented in the organisation.  There could also be certain patterns within leavers that cause the organisation concern, and where there may be issues that can be addressed to encourage retention.

With this in mind, it is essential that leavers who fall into the following categories be encouraged to have an  interview to investigate any areas of concern:

• Police officers leaving within their probationary period, or within the first five years of service;
• Police staff leaving within their first year of service;
• Women officers leaving the service.
• Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) members of staff leaving the service
• Members of staff who are defined as disabled under the Equality Act 2010

When a member of staff who falls into one of the above categories submits their intention to resign or transfer, an e-mail should be sent to the Head of Resourcing so that action can be taken to interview the individual as soon as possible.  This will follow the same format as the ADM20 questionnaire.  If the individual is reluctant to attend an interview, he or she should be offered an exit interview by telephone.  Where a leaver in these categories refuses to have an interview, this should be noted for the personal file, along with any reasons given. The leaver should still be encouraged to complete a questionnaire. 

Where an individual falling into one of the above categories declines the offer of completing an exit interview by any means, a member of the Resourcing Unit will attempt to contact him or her by telephone 3 months after their leaving date.  The individual will be asked if he or she will be willing to take part in the process by having an exit interview either by telephone or face to face which should follow the format of the exit questionnaire.  This should then be dealt with in the normal way.    

Confidentiality

Completed questionnaires will remain confidential to staff in the local HR department.  However, where an individual raises an issue of a nature that is judged to be sufficiently serious and requires further action, the organisation has a duty to investigate and take appropriate action. In such instances it may be impossible to guarantee anonymity, and leavers must be warned of this.

Information drawn from exit interview questionnaires used to produce reports and statistical analysis will be compiled in an anonymous format.

The local HR departments, Diversity Unit or the Resourcing Unit staff may contact certain leavers after they have left South Yorkshire Police to discuss any information provided on the form which they may be reluctant to discuss whilst still employed by the organisation.

What is done with the information collected?

Where an exit interview has taken place, the exit interviewer should ensure that any feedback or actions agreed at the interview are implemented.

If issues of a sufficiently serious nature such as harassment, bullying or discrimination are disclosed either in an exit interview or questionnaire, the individual should be provided the opportunity to pursue this through the Fairness at Work procedure (see policy D50167.)  Issues raised at an exit interview or on an exit questionnaire will not be treated as a formal grievance unless they are pursued through the Fairness at Work procedure, and the individual should be informed of this.  

The HR Manager at Districts and Departments has the responsibility to decide what information is acted upon at an individual, local or force level.

The questionnaire should be regarded as a learning opportunity and findings should be used to identify any underlying patterns or trends relating to individuals or groups as part of existing management systems.  

Where issues are raised in the questionnaire, which may cause concern, the HR Manager has the responsibility for contacting the individual to discuss this with them, particularly when an interview has not been arranged. 

The exit questionnaires will be retained on the individual’s personal file by the District and Departmental HR teams and the reasons for leaving should be recorded on the oracle HR system in order for force wide statistics to be collated annually by Corporate HR. 

The statistical information provided in exit questionnaires and interviews will be used to provide reports to the organisation on aquarterly basis, the Home Office, and to the Police Authority through the HR monitoring report, on:

• retention of staff;
• profiles of the categories of staff leaving the organisation;
• analysis of the reasons quoted for leaving the organisation;
• the need for changes in local practices and/or force policy and
• training needs of supervisory and other staff.

In order to allow members of staff leaving the organisation to speak freely and give an honest opinion, it is important they believe that they will suffer no detriment.  Information contained on the exit interview questionnaire will not be used in the future for the purpose of supplying employment references or consideration of re-employment.

Equality Act 2010: 

Start: 5th September 2005