An FMCG business has three kinds of workforce under one name: a field sales force, depot and warehouse teams, and plant staff. They leave for different reasons, and the field force usually turns over fastest and is the hardest to see. Understanding why people leave starts with not treating them as one group.
The purpose is to learn from their experience, respect their decision and identify what could improve for the people who remain in the territory, depot or plant.
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." "Higher salary." "Personal reasons." In field sales, these answers often sit on top of incentive disputes, unrealistic targets, delayed expense settlement or a territory that was changed without discussion. In the plant, they may mean shift patterns or progression. A higher salary may really mean a more predictable incentive.
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 points to a failure. Relocation, a move to a different category or company, further study and family responsibilities can all play a part.
Explore the areas that shaped their experience
Use the following areas as prompts rather than assuming any one of them caused the resignation.
- Fixed pay and incentives: Was the incentive scheme understood, and could they check how it was calculated? Were payments on time and disputes settled fairly?
- Targets and territory: Were targets realistic for the territory? Were territory changes explained, and did the person have a say?
- Expenses and field support: Were travel and expense claims settled promptly? Did they have the tools, stock and distributor support to meet their beat plan?
- Manager contact: Did the area manager coach, listen and visit, or only chase numbers? Was there pressure that felt unfair?
- Shift and workload at depot and plant: Were shifts, overtime and peak-season loading manageable? Was cover fair when colleagues were absent?
- Progression: Could they see a step from a field role to a higher sales role, or from plant or depot work into supervision?
- Role against expectations: Did the work match what was described at joining, including the beat, outlets and targets?
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. Field staff are rarely at a desk, so offer a phone call, a visit or written feedback, and avoid scheduling it at the end of a sales day.
Choose someone sufficiently independent of the issues discussed, such as an HR representative or a regional manager from another area, rather than the area sales manager. If the concern involves the manager, offer another person. In depots and plants, someone outside the shift line is a good choice.
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 beat, outlet or target details that were never discussed.
- 4
Were your targets and territory realistic?
Ask what would have made them reasonable, not only what was wrong.
- 5
Could you understand and check how your incentive was calculated?
Listen for disputes and delays rather than the amount.
- 6
How were your expenses and field support handled?
Late settlement and missing tools are common unspoken reasons.
- 7
How would you describe the support from your manager?
Offer another interviewer if the employee is uneasy answering this.
- 8
Were your shifts or working hours manageable?
Mainly for depot and plant staff; listen for peak-time loading and uneven cover.
- 9
Were there concerns you raised earlier? How were they handled?
This shows whether concerns reach someone who can act.
- 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 region, territory, role, manager and length of service. Compare similar territories and depots, because a difference between two comparable areas is often the clearest clue. Keep field, depot and plant exits separate, since combining them blurs the signal. 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, incentive disputes could lead to a clear written incentive statement owned by the sales head with HR. Late expense settlement could lead to a settlement timetable owned by the finance lead, 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 field visits about what makes the beat difficult and what would make someone consider leaving, and hold them with depot and plant teams too. Ask: "What would make you consider leaving, and what could we improve now?" For field staff, the conversation is most useful before targets are reset.
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 three FMCG workforces differ, see a plant, a depot network and a field force.
