Hot take: No one will stay at any organization or company or church forever. How can we make staff exits (especially at church) better?
(God willing) We spend so much time/energy/resources on on-boarding new people into an organization. While that is important, it would benefit the organization and the individual greatly to have a process on leaving an organization well. Moreso than a single exit interview/survey, we can have intentional conversations/processes for the inevitable exit of every individual.
An honest DTR of our involvement, our dream goals, and our dealbreakers in the beginning of our relationship on the very front end would help us shape how we talk about the inevitable exit (don’t forget; it’s going to happen).
Questions we could ask (if we value honesty, with no repercussions):
⁃ After being here for a couple days/weeks, what do you think about your current position? Are there any things you love/hate at first glance?
⁃ What are your dream goals (“It would be a dream come true for me [and/or what I believe God wants for me.] if I was [blank]…”)?
⁃ What are some concerns or dealbreakers that would cause you to leave?
⁃ If you are upset to the point where you would want to leave, what would that look like for you? Who would you want to tell? How much notice/writings on the wall would you like to give?
⁃ If God moves in you and you had to leave, how do you think you should communicate that?
⁃ When you think of leaving well, what does that look like for you?
⁃ Is this a long-term career/calling for you, or is it a short-term job?
Any conversation this honest outside of the narrow and opportune window at the beginning could be awkward, poisonous, and/or divisive.
Some of these questions could still be awkward. You’re asking employees to show their entire hand when it comes to their intentions and motives. Some might lie. Some might omit. Some might refuse.
And maybe it’s foolish or naive to think this kind of process would have a benefit, but I think it could be worth a shot. If nothing else, there’s some thought-provoking potential in the conversation, here.