Providing insight into the drivers of turnover at a global mining company

Situation

This large multinational mining organisation had undergone significant change and growth over the previous several years including a major acquisition and significant new contracts. In the midst of significant restructuring and changes to award systems, the organisation was also seeing high turnover of personnel in a critical time.

Challenge

In the tightening WA labour market, this mining organisation felt the need to better understand the drivers of turnover in order to better retain and attract personnel. In its new corporate structure, the organisation had no existing process and capability to capture employment experience or drivers of turnover. The organisation also needed to internally communicate emerging trends in both why personnel were leaving but also the state of competition in the employment market.

Solution

In consultation with the client, People Solutions designed an exit interview structure which covered the specific needs of the organisation and directly addressed known drivers of turnover. From February 2021, all employees of the organisation who resigned were given the option of completing the exit interview process either (a) via self-directed survey OR (b) via phone with a People Solutions consultant. This approach allowed the maximum number of employees to be reached.

It was communicated to those completing the exit interview that responses were treated both anonymously and confidentially, although employees could choose to identify themselves if they so wished.

Using data gathered from the exit interviews, monthly reporting was developed to give insight into short term trends, with quarterly reporting giving a higher degree of insight into outcomes at a more granular level. These more granular reports were able to help divisional heads and site-based leaders to see the factors that were directly affecting turnover in their staff and act accordingly.

Result

Over the course of the exit interview administration and reporting to date, People Solutions identified:

• The key drivers of turnover both generally as well as within specific sites and divisions of the business;
• Factors attracting personnel to their new employer;
• Demographic differences in employment experience (e.g., differences across gender);
• Quotes and anecdotes left by departing personnel which helped to illustrate trends identified in the data;
• The willingness of exiting personnel to return to work for the organisation

All of this allowed for the recognition of key strengths in the experience of work at the organisation as well as the development of targeted suggestions to help the organisation retain personnel.

Learn more about what People Solutions can do to deliver exit interviews and other organisational diagnostics to support your organisation. Speak to our consultants today about our custom solutions.