The Employee Detachment Inventory (EDI) provides Human Resource professionals with an objective methodology for measuring the perceptions of departing employees. It measures the degree to which various aspects of the employment experience led to their ultimate decision to leave the organisation.

The EDI consists of an online Exit Survey (completed by both Manager & Employee) and EDI Feedback Report. The Report is designed for use and interpretation by the HR Consultant to guide a targeted interview with the Employee and Manager Debrief.

The EDI can be used as a stand-alone exit measure or in conjunction with your existing interview process.

The EDI Framework consists of 12 Drivers:

1. Position
2. Resources, Systems & Equipment
3. Security & Safety
4. Reward & Recognition
5. Capability
6. Achievement
7. Growth & Development
8. Sustainability & Balance
9. Colleagues
10.Manager
11.Senior Leadership
12.Organisation

Each “Driver” contains a set of “Elements”. There are 64 elements in total, and these are linked closely to the survey questions which allow us to pinpoint the real reasons behind their departure, and the extent to which it impacted the decision.

Traditional Exit Surveys are often one sided; they seek feedback from the exiting employee and do little to engage the Manager in the process. The EDI seeks feedback from both the existing Employee and the Manager. It’s important to know the reasons why an Employee decides to leave, but it’s equally important for the Manager to understand the extent to which each driver had an impact on this decision.

In other words, the comparison of response between Employee and Manager (to the same set of questions) enables the Manager to identify the gaps in their perceived view of how satisfied the Employee was in the role, compared with their actual satisfaction ratings.

This comparison is not designed to help the Manager to salvage the relationship; it’s designed to help them gain an awareness of the issues their remaining and future team members may also be experiencing.

The goal of this process is to help Manager’s to achieve higher levels of engagement, retention and performance from your existing/future employees, by learning from their exiting Employees.

The EDI Survey is completed by the exiting Employee and Manager. It contains 64 questions and should take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete. The questions are general and require a response based on a fixed rating scale. This makes it easy for both Employee and Manager to respond to each item, without having to write lengthy responses. We also allow for Verbatim Comments at the end of the Employee Survey which caters for those who have something extra to share.

The EDI Feedback Report contains a high level Dashboard Overview of each driver, along with detailed scoring per Element. It’s within the Element scoring that the HR Consultant gains valuable information on the degree to which each part of the employment experience either Engaged or Detached the employee.

Engagement drivers are “pull” forces; these are the reasons for wanting to stay. Detachment drivers are “push” forces; these are the reasons for wanting to leave.

An Engagement/Detachment perception, though it may not be based in rational thinking or direct experience, is the measure of an individuals thinking and feeling at a specific point in time.

01. The EDI pinpoints and uncovers the real reasons for departure.
The EDI is comprehensive and covers all aspects of the employment experience. By gathering this information in an online survey, using a rating scale, we’re able to produce a detailed report which can be used as a basis for further exploration with the Employee, or as a stand-alone measure to drive improvements in the business.

02. The EDI helps Managers to “hear” what their existing team members may not be telling them.
If the Manager discovers the Employee is leaving due to XYZ (factors that also impact the existing team members) then the Manager has an opportunity to step in and improve this factor so that it doesn’t become a reason why other valued team members also decide to exit.

03. Good exit practice enhances your employer brand.
Exiting employees represent your Employer Brand; it’s therefore critical that this process is conducted in a fair and respectful manner. When conducted well, this process gives exiting employees the chance to leave on a positive note, with good relationships and mutual respect.

It’s a good idea to invite departing employees to join the company’s social media channels as advocates for the brand, and to stay connected in general.

04. Opportunity for Knowledge Transfer.
From the date of resignation to the date of departure, the organisation has a window of opportunity (generally up to 30 days) to capture and transfer knowledge from the exiting employee to remaining team members and/or their replacement. By conducting a professional exit process, the departing employee is more likely to want to share their knowledge, and this is because human beings generally seek cooperation and avoid confrontation – we are geared neurologically geared this way. This is particularly critical for roles in which significant intellectual and relationship capital is about the walk out the door.

05. EDI as a Management Development Tool.
Feedback can be a powerful learning process and when Managers are in tune with their people, they are in a better position to create an engaging work environment where people want to stay and grow with the business.