I am doing my summer project on ANLYSIS OF THE EXIT QUESTIONNAIRES OF EX – EXPLOYEES OF MY COMPANY WHO LEFT THE COMPANY IN THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR
Now the problem is that it is totally an open ended questionnaire that I need to analyze. There are about 72 employees –of different departments - who left last year. I have typed some samples questions below. Can anyone guide me as to how to analyze it…
Is it fine if I can convert the open ended questions into closed ended ones by making assumptions and then do a normal analysis ….I mean would that be a wrong way of analyzing ….
For example For question 5 below can I put a 5 point scale highly satisfied, satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied , highly dissatisfied- and then analyse it in an excel sheet
I would appreciate if anyone could help me out with this asap coz only after that I can start my project
Employee name. ________________________
1.Reasons for separation (this is an objective type question. So it’s fine. )
Ø Better compensation
Ø Superiors
Ø Less to travel to work
Ø Working environment
Ø Higher education
Ø Any other
2How did you feel about following
Ø Career progress with the company: __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
Ø Training and development inputs received
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
Ø HR Policies and systems
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
Ø Compensation policies
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
3. Did you feel following was satisfactorily explained?
Company policies: __________________________________________
Rules and regulations: _______________________________________
4. Did he like the work he was doing?
__________________________________________________ _______
(Sir, Here some have said just yes or no… some have elaborated ….so do I put a yes/no type of question for analysis or do I put a 5 point scale like highly satisfied, satisfied, etc) __________________________________________________ _______
5. How did you feel about the communication within the company?
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
6. Did you get along well with the superiors? How did the superiors handle grievances?
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
7 any suggestions to improve:
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
From India,
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1Now the problem is that it is totally an open ended questionnaire that I need to analyze. There are about 72 employees –of different departments - who left last year. I have typed some samples questions below. Can anyone guide me as to how to analyze it…
Is it fine if I can convert the open ended questions into closed ended ones by making assumptions and then do a normal analysis ….I mean would that be a wrong way of analyzing ….
For example For question 5 below can I put a 5 point scale highly satisfied, satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied , highly dissatisfied- and then analyse it in an excel sheet
I would appreciate if anyone could help me out with this asap coz only after that I can start my project
Employee name. ________________________
1.Reasons for separation (this is an objective type question. So it’s fine. )
Ø Better compensation
Ø Superiors
Ø Less to travel to work
Ø Working environment
Ø Higher education
Ø Any other
2How did you feel about following
Ø Career progress with the company: __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
Ø Training and development inputs received
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
Ø HR Policies and systems
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
Ø Compensation policies
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
3. Did you feel following was satisfactorily explained?
Company policies: __________________________________________
Rules and regulations: _______________________________________
4. Did he like the work he was doing?
__________________________________________________ _______
(Sir, Here some have said just yes or no… some have elaborated ….so do I put a yes/no type of question for analysis or do I put a 5 point scale like highly satisfied, satisfied, etc) __________________________________________________ _______
5. How did you feel about the communication within the company?
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
6. Did you get along well with the superiors? How did the superiors handle grievances?
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
7 any suggestions to improve:
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________
From India,
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You can try to categorize the comments for every question and say you have 5 categories for Q2. Then, use usual stats to analyze, e.g., 5 respondents for category 1, 20 respondents for category 2, etc.
Open-ended questions require more work but provide richer information. Just a suggestion.
From Malaysia, Kajang
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Open-ended questions require more work but provide richer information. Just a suggestion.
From Malaysia, Kajang
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thanx for the suggestion so are you saying that its right to convert open ended to closed ended ques
From India,
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From India,
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You need to go through the answers and then try to define it because I might be the sort of person who is easily satisfied while you may need more inputs to stay satisfied. Instead, use the open-ended answers to find keywords and then do the analysis accordingly.
From India, Mumbai
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From India, Mumbai
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Well, actually it's trying to make the open-ended responses into statistics for analysis. But once you've analyzed - say Q3's highest dissatisfaction is in the area of category 2, you can dig back into the qualitative info to understand what's the problem.
Don't know if it's valid, but it's what we do! Good luck!
From Malaysia, Kajang
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Don't know if it's valid, but it's what we do! Good luck!
From Malaysia, Kajang
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Hi Tania,
The 'Scale' you are using is a 'Likert' Rating system, e.g., Highly Satisfied, Satisfied, etc., to Highly Dissatisfied, which can be further scaled. I am just sharing my experience and stating the relevant portions which you can correlate. Though my perspective was on 'Suggesting a better system' rather than analysis, I think you may proceed as under.
💡 As per the Likert Rating Scale, there are 5 possible answers (Responses): Highly Satisfied, Satisfied, Neutral, Dissatisfied, Highly Dissatisfied. You can change this into a 3, 4, or 7-point rating scale. To do this (I did it), assign Scores to the 5 point responses, e.g., 0 for Highly Dissatisfied and similarly, 4 for Highly Satisfied. It's useful to have a quantitative measure to switch or further scale another rating system. Once you do it, use Attribute Measure: Total Score obtained by all Ex-employees / Total possible Score to keep it simple; the higher the score, the better the rating. Now, if you have marginal scores like 0.57 or say 0.48 or 0.6, complement the analysis with your qualitative data. As these are Human Perceptions, strict quality control or cross-sectional analysis is not possible. If you are switching from a 5-point to a 2-point scale, it would be easier. Vice versa, you will have to depend more on qualitative data to translate a 2-point scale to a 5-point scale.
"If I can Define it, I can Measure it. If I can Measure it, I can Analyze it. If I can Analyze it, I can improve it."
➡️ That is to say, I think, if you concentrate on the End Product of that Analysis, I hope you will be able to find a good solution. If you are unsure, make these separate lists: What is to be done/improved, What Data is required, From which data analysis is to be made, and you can identify certain Areas in which you can take individual Attribute scores, e.g., Quality of Work Life, Communication, Decision Making, and Leadership, Internal Customer Focus, Compensation & benefits, Ethical values, etc. This will give a more comprehensive picture of the exit scenario and may suggest certain areas in which improvements are necessary to retain talents!
💡 My work was a bit different from yours in which Exit Process improvement was a small area. Also, it was for Management Cadre in an Iron & Steel Industry. I hope this work to be of some use!
😎 You can do a synthesis of various alternate methods, take the best elements, and prepare your reasoning system.
Wishing you the very best of luck! 😄
Regards,
thesysthink
From India, Pune
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The 'Scale' you are using is a 'Likert' Rating system, e.g., Highly Satisfied, Satisfied, etc., to Highly Dissatisfied, which can be further scaled. I am just sharing my experience and stating the relevant portions which you can correlate. Though my perspective was on 'Suggesting a better system' rather than analysis, I think you may proceed as under.
💡 As per the Likert Rating Scale, there are 5 possible answers (Responses): Highly Satisfied, Satisfied, Neutral, Dissatisfied, Highly Dissatisfied. You can change this into a 3, 4, or 7-point rating scale. To do this (I did it), assign Scores to the 5 point responses, e.g., 0 for Highly Dissatisfied and similarly, 4 for Highly Satisfied. It's useful to have a quantitative measure to switch or further scale another rating system. Once you do it, use Attribute Measure: Total Score obtained by all Ex-employees / Total possible Score to keep it simple; the higher the score, the better the rating. Now, if you have marginal scores like 0.57 or say 0.48 or 0.6, complement the analysis with your qualitative data. As these are Human Perceptions, strict quality control or cross-sectional analysis is not possible. If you are switching from a 5-point to a 2-point scale, it would be easier. Vice versa, you will have to depend more on qualitative data to translate a 2-point scale to a 5-point scale.
"If I can Define it, I can Measure it. If I can Measure it, I can Analyze it. If I can Analyze it, I can improve it."
➡️ That is to say, I think, if you concentrate on the End Product of that Analysis, I hope you will be able to find a good solution. If you are unsure, make these separate lists: What is to be done/improved, What Data is required, From which data analysis is to be made, and you can identify certain Areas in which you can take individual Attribute scores, e.g., Quality of Work Life, Communication, Decision Making, and Leadership, Internal Customer Focus, Compensation & benefits, Ethical values, etc. This will give a more comprehensive picture of the exit scenario and may suggest certain areas in which improvements are necessary to retain talents!
💡 My work was a bit different from yours in which Exit Process improvement was a small area. Also, it was for Management Cadre in an Iron & Steel Industry. I hope this work to be of some use!
😎 You can do a synthesis of various alternate methods, take the best elements, and prepare your reasoning system.
Wishing you the very best of luck! 😄
Regards,
thesysthink
From India, Pune
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Thank you all for the suggestions.
I have divided the entire lot of 75 questionnaires into 7 departments. Now, I analyzed one department of about 20 ex-employees and was successful in finding a common factor for attrition in that department.
The problem arises when I analyze another department consisting of only 16 people who left last year. When I went to analyze, each person had a different reason for leaving the organization. For example, some have personal problems, some career-related issues, some related to compensation, etc. Due to this variation, I cannot attribute the attrition in this department to a specific problem.
Therefore, it might be better if I don't analyze department-wise at all and instead focus on the organization as a whole.
From India,
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I have divided the entire lot of 75 questionnaires into 7 departments. Now, I analyzed one department of about 20 ex-employees and was successful in finding a common factor for attrition in that department.
The problem arises when I analyze another department consisting of only 16 people who left last year. When I went to analyze, each person had a different reason for leaving the organization. For example, some have personal problems, some career-related issues, some related to compensation, etc. Due to this variation, I cannot attribute the attrition in this department to a specific problem.
Therefore, it might be better if I don't analyze department-wise at all and instead focus on the organization as a whole.
From India,
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Try using dummy tables; that is, use an Excel sheet to figure out and cross-tabulate two factors. For example, plot the age of the employee on the x-axis and another relevant factor on the y-axis. Repeat this process for multiple factors that are essential to be analyzed.
Raaj
From India, Hyderabad
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Raaj
From India, Hyderabad
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Thank you for the insight. Have you heard of SPSS software? It is a tool used for analysis. If anyone can provide a link to download SPSS, kindly send it to hr_info1983@indiatimes.com. Thank you.
From India,
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From India,
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Dear Tania,
Unfortunately, SPSS cannot be legally downloaded from ANY website (you need to purchase a license).
What I suggest is to use the 'Data Analysis' Solver packs in Microsoft Excel. Hopefully, you won't require complex multivariate models; most parametric stats can be tackled by Excel. It needs to be installed separately if you cannot see it in Excel now.
The Solver is usually found on the same installation CD from which the MS Office is installed. Just discuss it with your system admin. If you are using version 2000 or higher, it should be no problem for installation.
Alternatively, there is the MSTAT Package. The only issue is that it's a very old DOS-based application that reads data directly from a floppy drive. This is a pretty common utility that is handy to use. I have used SPSS 2 years ago but have lost touch a bit. There are also Statistica/STATCAT, but in my opinion, they should only be used if you are planning to use mathematical programming or optimization techniques in your project.
Best of luck!
Regards,
thesysthink
From India, Pune
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Unfortunately, SPSS cannot be legally downloaded from ANY website (you need to purchase a license).
What I suggest is to use the 'Data Analysis' Solver packs in Microsoft Excel. Hopefully, you won't require complex multivariate models; most parametric stats can be tackled by Excel. It needs to be installed separately if you cannot see it in Excel now.
The Solver is usually found on the same installation CD from which the MS Office is installed. Just discuss it with your system admin. If you are using version 2000 or higher, it should be no problem for installation.
Alternatively, there is the MSTAT Package. The only issue is that it's a very old DOS-based application that reads data directly from a floppy drive. This is a pretty common utility that is handy to use. I have used SPSS 2 years ago but have lost touch a bit. There are also Statistica/STATCAT, but in my opinion, they should only be used if you are planning to use mathematical programming or optimization techniques in your project.
Best of luck!
Regards,
thesysthink
From India, Pune
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Hi,
I am also doing my summer training presently, and I too have to analyze the questionnaires. It's always better to have closed-ended questions as they are much simpler to analyze. Not only this, you may get prompt replies by employing this method as people don't find it to be a waste of much time.
Jyoti
From India, Jaipur
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I am also doing my summer training presently, and I too have to analyze the questionnaires. It's always better to have closed-ended questions as they are much simpler to analyze. Not only this, you may get prompt replies by employing this method as people don't find it to be a waste of much time.
Jyoti
From India, Jaipur
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If a current employee asks former employees why they left, I suspect the answers will be less than candid. If employers are serious about conducting post-exit interviews, they need to hire a company that knows how to do it effectively. Anonymity is crucial.
From United States, Chelsea
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From United States, Chelsea
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Hi Tania,
You can convert and try to fit all the questions on a five-scale rating. Instead of leaving a blank space below each question, you can put those responses on your scale. At the end of the questionnaire, you can provide blank space for making suggestions. I think you will get the right information from this.
Regards,
Sneha
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You can convert and try to fit all the questions on a five-scale rating. Instead of leaving a blank space below each question, you can put those responses on your scale. At the end of the questionnaire, you can provide blank space for making suggestions. I think you will get the right information from this.
Regards,
Sneha
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Hi, Bob!
You are right. In many Indian corporations (except for a few exceptions), people hardly care about the exit process as there is always an excessive supply of manpower compared to the demand. It's more like a ritual than a genuine effort for process improvement.
To maintain anonymity and encourage honest feedback, could individuals be given access to an anonymous organizational email to keep their identity undisclosed? This approach may work. In my project, I suggested providing the departing employee with a postage-paid envelope and a small form to fill out and drop off after joining a new organization. The points of comparison included themes such as salary, freedom, autonomy, growth prospects, and more.
The second part involved informal grievance counseling to ensure that departing employees leave with a positive impression of the corporation. In my opinion, there are a few more things that should be done concurrently with data-based research for process improvements.
Fortunately, there is a growing concern in Indian organizations regarding exit interviews, and they are gradually being taken seriously for talent retention.
Regards,
Thesysthink
From India, Pune
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You are right. In many Indian corporations (except for a few exceptions), people hardly care about the exit process as there is always an excessive supply of manpower compared to the demand. It's more like a ritual than a genuine effort for process improvement.
To maintain anonymity and encourage honest feedback, could individuals be given access to an anonymous organizational email to keep their identity undisclosed? This approach may work. In my project, I suggested providing the departing employee with a postage-paid envelope and a small form to fill out and drop off after joining a new organization. The points of comparison included themes such as salary, freedom, autonomy, growth prospects, and more.
The second part involved informal grievance counseling to ensure that departing employees leave with a positive impression of the corporation. In my opinion, there are a few more things that should be done concurrently with data-based research for process improvements.
Fortunately, there is a growing concern in Indian organizations regarding exit interviews, and they are gradually being taken seriously for talent retention.
Regards,
Thesysthink
From India, Pune
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Hi!
You can use the attached simple tool in your Exit Interview benchmarking process. If you get the Comparative Scores of two Organizations, you may know the Areas in which your Organization needs improvement.
The data may be obtained either by Email or Pre-paid Envelope Mailer.
Prerequisite: Data Format Numeric only - in the range 1 to 5. Data for both Organizations is required for valid Results.
Just a suggestion... let me know if it could be of help.
Regards,
Thesysthink
From India, Pune
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You can use the attached simple tool in your Exit Interview benchmarking process. If you get the Comparative Scores of two Organizations, you may know the Areas in which your Organization needs improvement.
The data may be obtained either by Email or Pre-paid Envelope Mailer.
Prerequisite: Data Format Numeric only - in the range 1 to 5. Data for both Organizations is required for valid Results.
Just a suggestion... let me know if it could be of help.
Regards,
Thesysthink
From India, Pune
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Hello Thesysthink:
Dear Bob, you are right.
Thanks.
In many Indian corporations, people hardly care about Exit as there is always excessive supply of manpower than demand. It's more like a ritual than a genuine effort for process improvement.
It is the same in the US; executives seldom know what to do with the contradictory information they receive from departing employees.
To keep anonymity and encourage true feedback, can one be given access to an anonymous organizational email (to keep identity undisclosed)? This may work.
If I were a former employee, I would respond to a survey from a company email address.
In my project, I suggested providing the departing employee with a postage-paid envelope with a small form which he/she can fill in and drop after joining the new organization. Points of comparison were: (The theme) I joined for More - Salary/Freedom/Autonomy/Growth Prospects/etc.
A smart former employee will say nothing but nice things about their former employer.
The second part was informal grievance counseling so that the departing employee keeps a good name of the corporation. In my opinion, there are a few more things that should be done simultaneously with data-based research for process improvements.
If employers actually cared about their employees, they would not need to ask former employees about their experiences; they would already know.
Fortunately, there is a growing concern in Indian organizations regarding Exit Interviews, and it is gradually being taken seriously for the retention of talents.
Exit interviews collect data from people who are not being retained. Be very careful, as that data can lead the employer in the wrong direction.
From United States, Chelsea
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Dear Bob, you are right.
Thanks.
In many Indian corporations, people hardly care about Exit as there is always excessive supply of manpower than demand. It's more like a ritual than a genuine effort for process improvement.
It is the same in the US; executives seldom know what to do with the contradictory information they receive from departing employees.
To keep anonymity and encourage true feedback, can one be given access to an anonymous organizational email (to keep identity undisclosed)? This may work.
If I were a former employee, I would respond to a survey from a company email address.
In my project, I suggested providing the departing employee with a postage-paid envelope with a small form which he/she can fill in and drop after joining the new organization. Points of comparison were: (The theme) I joined for More - Salary/Freedom/Autonomy/Growth Prospects/etc.
A smart former employee will say nothing but nice things about their former employer.
The second part was informal grievance counseling so that the departing employee keeps a good name of the corporation. In my opinion, there are a few more things that should be done simultaneously with data-based research for process improvements.
If employers actually cared about their employees, they would not need to ask former employees about their experiences; they would already know.
Fortunately, there is a growing concern in Indian organizations regarding Exit Interviews, and it is gradually being taken seriously for the retention of talents.
Exit interviews collect data from people who are not being retained. Be very careful, as that data can lead the employer in the wrong direction.
From United States, Chelsea
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Recently, around 50 employees from my organization left. This is unprecedented, hence exit interviews were held. I had a talk with several departing colleagues. The main theme was they won't give candid feedback and let bygones be bygones. They did not want any hassles in getting their dues. Candid feedback may have delayed the dues from the organization. Exit interviews will be successful only when the company is willing to listen to employees. If there is no faith in the process, every effort will look like a ritual.
From India, Mumbai
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From India, Mumbai
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Hi,
It is better to convert open-ended questions into closed-ended questions and then lay out a Likert scale to prepare a graph in Excel. However, when converting open-ended questions into closed-ended questions, it includes uncertain values, and hence the results obtained may not give you an accurate picture, which needs to be specified in your project.
Alternatively, you can keep the questions open-ended and then draw a graph, which gives you the details of what employees mean to say. However, it is difficult to prepare a result column.
Regards,
Soumya Sudhindra
From India, Bangalore
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It is better to convert open-ended questions into closed-ended questions and then lay out a Likert scale to prepare a graph in Excel. However, when converting open-ended questions into closed-ended questions, it includes uncertain values, and hence the results obtained may not give you an accurate picture, which needs to be specified in your project.
Alternatively, you can keep the questions open-ended and then draw a graph, which gives you the details of what employees mean to say. However, it is difficult to prepare a result column.
Regards,
Soumya Sudhindra
From India, Bangalore
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Dear Bob,
Those were my experiences with an Iron and Steel Company (It's ISO 14001 certified), which was undergoing Entire Corporate Restructuring in terms of HRD. In that connection, I was tasked with analyzing the exit data of 156 strategic-level managers. The HR Department was almost convinced that the exit data was nothing but a box of garbage. The Exit Process Analysis was actually on the fringe area of my project (the core project was on Organizational Health Analysis, not exactly a climate survey).
I came across something about Model-based Estimation and Forecasting and worked on a statistical model for them. It worked. I compiled a list of around 40 issues that needed immediate attention from HR. By "Retention," I meant not to repeat the mistakes that led to the loss of employees.
There are certain issues that may be true in India but not in the US (and vice versa) due to cultural impacts on employee psychology. The concept worked in the Indian organization; however, I realize it's challenging to generalize all cases.
However, what I truly believe is that employees do not leave the organization; they tend to leave their immediate superior. In other words, they do not change professions; they change their bosses. This is just based on my experience and has not been verified using any survey data.
Thank you for the reply.
Regards,
thesysthink
From India, Pune
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Those were my experiences with an Iron and Steel Company (It's ISO 14001 certified), which was undergoing Entire Corporate Restructuring in terms of HRD. In that connection, I was tasked with analyzing the exit data of 156 strategic-level managers. The HR Department was almost convinced that the exit data was nothing but a box of garbage. The Exit Process Analysis was actually on the fringe area of my project (the core project was on Organizational Health Analysis, not exactly a climate survey).
I came across something about Model-based Estimation and Forecasting and worked on a statistical model for them. It worked. I compiled a list of around 40 issues that needed immediate attention from HR. By "Retention," I meant not to repeat the mistakes that led to the loss of employees.
There are certain issues that may be true in India but not in the US (and vice versa) due to cultural impacts on employee psychology. The concept worked in the Indian organization; however, I realize it's challenging to generalize all cases.
However, what I truly believe is that employees do not leave the organization; they tend to leave their immediate superior. In other words, they do not change professions; they change their bosses. This is just based on my experience and has not been verified using any survey data.
Thank you for the reply.
Regards,
thesysthink
From India, Pune
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As long as you are learning skills that are transferable across organizations, preferably across different sectors, people will stay. Once they acquire those skills and the salary is better in another organization, they will leave.
"The boss is part of the package that comes with the job, but their share in employee retention isn't significant. Saying 'I like my boss so I am staying in the job' doesn't sound convincing."
Regards,
Papillon
From India, Mumbai
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"The boss is part of the package that comes with the job, but their share in employee retention isn't significant. Saying 'I like my boss so I am staying in the job' doesn't sound convincing."
Regards,
Papillon
From India, Mumbai
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