Facility management staff spend their working lives at somebody else's premises. Supervisors may see them daily, but head office often hears about a resignation only when a post is already empty. Understanding why people leave, and doing it before the next gap, protects both the people and the service you deliver to the client.
The purpose is to learn from their experience, respect their decision and identify what could improve for the people who remain at that site and others.
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
"Personal reasons." "Going to my village." "Better salary." These may be true, but in a deployed workforce they often sit on top of something practical: a salary that arrived late, a relief that never came for a day off, an unclear weekly off, or a posting far from home. A better salary can also mean steadier payment and fewer deductions disputes rather than a higher figure.
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 exit is a complaint. Family needs, returning home, a move to a different trade or a change of city can also shape the decision, and some people leave because the client contract at their site ended.
Explore the areas that shaped their experience
Use the following areas as prompts rather than assuming any one of them caused the resignation.
- Pay and payment reliability: Was pay on time and calculated as expected? Were deductions, overtime and allowances explained clearly?
- Relief and weekly off: Could they take a day off knowing that relief would arrive? Did they work extra shifts because cover failed?
- Site and posting: Was the site close enough to home? Did they have any say when they were moved to another site or client?
- Supervisor and site in-charge: Were instructions clear? Did the supervisor listen, share fair duties and treat them respectfully? Was the supervisor stretched across too many sites?
- Client interaction: Did client staff treat them fairly? Was there someone to speak to if a client complaint seemed unfair?
- Uniform, equipment and safety: Did they have proper uniforms, equipment and training for the tasks at that premises?
- Growth and recognition: Could they see a step from site to supervisor or technician? Was good work noticed?
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 or before their last day at site. Because people are spread across client premises, a short phone call or a visit by an area manager, or written feedback, may be the only practical way. Choose a time that does not cost them a shift.
Where possible, choose someone other than the site supervisor, such as an area manager or an HR representative. If the concern involves the supervisor or the client, offer another person. Make sure the conversation is not held in front of the client's staff.
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
Was your pay, and the way it was paid, what you expected?
Listen for late payment, unexplained deductions and unclear overtime.
- 4
When you needed a day off, what happened about relief?
Listen for cover that failed and extra shifts that followed.
- 5
How did you find the site and the travel involved?
Ask whether a move or a different site would have changed the decision.
- 6
How would you describe the support from your supervisor?
Offer another interviewer if the employee is uneasy answering this.
- 7
Were you given the uniform, equipment and training you needed at that premises?
Gaps here point to joining and replacement-staff practices.
- 8
Did you ever raise a concern? What happened?
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 client site, supervisor, role, shift and length of service. Staff who leave within weeks of joining say something different from those who leave after years. Repeated exits from one site or one area point towards that site or its supervision, but check pay timing and relief records before you draw a conclusion. 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, missed relief could lead to a relief pool plan owned by the operations head. Late payment could lead to a check of the attendance and payroll input timetable, owned by HR with area managers, with a review date.
Where appropriate, tell current employees what has changed without revealing a departing colleague's private feedback.
Start listening before people resign
Include regular conversations during site visits about what makes the work difficult and what would make someone consider leaving. Ask: "What would make you consider leaving, and what could we improve now?" For staff who rarely see head office, a visit from someone they trust counts for more than a form.
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 pay and relief records and acting on what is within your control gives the conversation a useful purpose. For the wider picture of managing people at client premises, see your people, their building.
