Administrators are expecting to get more ideas on how to improve employee satisfaction on the Hill through an online exit interview.

The Staff Council and Human Resources department created the exit interviews this semester. It is meant for any university faculty or staff member that leaves Western.

The exit interview is done through an online questionnaire, which can be accessed on the Human Resources Web page. Participants can also write comments through the Web page.

The interview asks such questions as why the employee is leaving and how Western compared to other places they’ve worked.

It is optional for employees to fill out.

The plan for exit interviews was approved on Feb. 23 by the Administrative Council.

Human Resources Director Tony Glisson said there had been no formal exit interview before the online form was created, but some employees had made appointments to talk about their reasons for leaving.

“We want to encourage people to share their thoughts with us,” he said.

Glisson said they are looking for good and bad feedback from employees.

Western officials will be looking for trends in satisfaction or dissatisfaction so they can assess future policies on topics such as training and benefits.

Glisson said the exit interview was set up online because of the lack of time to meet with every employee.

Staff Council Chair Elizabeth Paris said Western has a large turnover rate, and the exit interviews could help to discover any patterns for staff leaving.

“This would help to identify problem areas,” she said. “It costs money to train people, and we’d like to keep them for more than three years.”

Paris said she doesn’t know if the exit interviews will be widely used, but the system could later change if it isn’t helpful.

Gene Tice, vice president for Student Affairs and campus services, said any gained information for the exit interviews would help.

Reach Lindsey Reed at [email protected].