In energy and utilities, a resignation can take a lot with it. An experienced technician or shift in-charge carries plant knowledge, site authorisations and years of judgement that are slow to rebuild. Understanding why people leave is a practical question for operations as much as for HR.
The purpose of the conversation is to learn from their experience, respect their decision and see what could improve for the people who remain, on projects and in operations alike.
CIPD's guidance on employee turnover highlights the value of understanding why staff leave and addressing areas such as fair treatment, flexibility and employee wellbeing. Source: CIPD
Look beyond the first answer
"Better opportunity." "Personal reasons." "Higher package." These answers may be accurate, but in this sector they often cover something more specific: months away from family on a remote site, a project that ended with no next role in sight, or shifts that never settled into a pattern. A better opportunity could also mean a clearer route to an authorisation, a role closer to home or a site with a steadier roster.
Start with a simple question: "What made you start considering a change?"
Then ask what made the person decide to leave. This separates the circumstances that started the search from the offer that finally attracted them. Not every resignation points to a problem. Relocation, family responsibilities, further study or a move into a different part of the energy sector can all shape someone's decision.
Explore the areas that shaped their experience
Use the following areas as prompts rather than assuming any one of them caused the resignation.
- Pay, allowances and site conditions: Did pay reflect the shifts, remote postings and responsibilities involved? Were allowances and overtime clear and paid on time?
- Project end and redeployment: When a project wound down, was the person told early what came next? Did anyone talk to them about another project or a move into operations?
- Authorisation and progression: Could they see how to gain the authorisations they needed and move towards a senior technician, engineer or shift in-charge role?
- Shift pattern and rotation: Was the roster predictable? Did night shifts, rotation and cover for absent colleagues fall unevenly?
- Site, travel and time away: Did remote postings, travel and time away from home influence the decision? Was there any say in where they were posted?
- Supervisor and site leadership: Were expectations clear? Did the supervisor listen to safety and workload concerns and act on them?
- Role against expectations: Did the work match what was discussed at joining, including the balance between project and operations duties?
Several factors usually sit behind one resignation. Let the employee explain how they connect, in their own words. For the general version of this approach, see why employees leave and how to understand their reasons.
Who should run the exit conversation
Invite the employee to a voluntary exit conversation during their notice period. For project staff and contractors' people on a short notice, ask early, because the window may be only days. Where people work across remote sites, a call can work as well as a meeting.
Choose someone sufficiently independent of the issues discussed, such as an HR representative or a manager from another site, rather than the site head or shift in-charge. If the concern involves the supervisor, offer another person, or written feedback.
Explain who will see the responses and how they will be used. Avoid promising complete anonymity where the team is small enough for details to identify the person. Listen without defending each decision, and ask for a specific example if you need clarification. For how to run the process around the conversation, see exit interviews that produce action.
Ask questions that lead to useful feedback
- 1
What first made you consider leaving?
This finds the starting point, which is often different from the final reason.
- 2
What were the main factors in your final decision?
Let them connect the factors in their own words.
- 3
How did the role compare with what you expected when you joined?
Gaps often point to project and operations duties that were never discussed.
- 4
What was it like when your last project or posting ended?
Listen for whether redeployment was discussed before the end date.
- 5
Were your shifts, rotation and time away manageable?
Listen for uneven cover, short notice changes and long postings.
- 6
Did you have a clear route to the authorisations and responsibilities you wanted?
Ask what they would have wanted, not only what was missing.
- 7
How would you describe the support from your supervisor and site leadership?
Offer another interviewer if the employee is uneasy answering this.
- 8
Did you ever feel unable to raise a safety or workload concern? What happened when you did?
This shows whether concerns reach someone who can act.
- 9
What did you value most about working here?
It shows what is worth protecting for the people who stay.
- 10
What should we improve for the next person in this role?
A forward-looking close that keeps the conversation constructive.
Use follow-up questions where needed, and let the employee skip any question they do not wish to answer.
Turn individual feedback into a pattern review
Record the main reason for leaving, any contributing factors and a short factual summary. Keep what the employee said separate from your interpretation.
Review departures over time by site, project or plant, role, shift and length of service. A cluster of exits from one control room, one project type or one rotation pattern says more than the overall number. Separate project staff from operations staff, since they leave for different reasons. A small number of exits should prompt further investigation rather than an immediate conclusion about a person or a site. The attrition number that hides the problem explains why a single headline rate is not enough.
Give each improvement an owner
Feedback that is simply filed away changes nothing. For each issue chosen for action, agree on:
- The specific change needed.
- The person responsible.
- A completion date.
- How progress will be reviewed.
For example, staff leaving as a project winds down could lead to a redeployment conversation held a set number of weeks before the end date, owned by the project manager with HR. Uneven rotation could lead to a roster review owned by the operations head.
Where appropriate, tell current employees what has changed without revealing a departing colleague's private feedback.
Start listening before people resign
Include regular conversations about what makes the work difficult and what would make someone consider leaving, particularly on long postings and before a project ends. Ask: "What would make you consider leaving, and what could we improve now?" Having it during a posting gives you time to change a rotation or discuss a next role.
Follow-through matters. Asking for feedback creates an expectation that someone will take it seriously, so only ask what you are prepared to look at.
Every resignation deserves a respectful response. Understanding the reasons, checking the wider evidence and acting on what is within your control gives the conversation a useful purpose. For how the two parts of an energy workforce differ, see the project team that mobilised and the plant that never stopped.
