Expert Interviews Instead of Exit Interviews

Last year, officials at the Fort Collins, Colo., utilities department looked at their workforce and realized they had a problem. Following a nationwide trend, a number of their employees were eligible for retirement within the next five years, putting the department at risk of brain drain. Succession planning and knowledge transfer quickly became top priorities.

After sending out an RFP last fall, the department pursued a unique program. Rather than relying on exit interviews to attempt to capture years worth of knowledge or asking soon-to-retire employees to write down their day-to-day duties before they leave, a consultant recently conducted "expert interviews" with key employees to document the contacts, relationships and resources they use to get their jobs done. The first batch of written and video interviews were conducted this past winter. Now, the department is building on these to develop an employee-driven task force that will plan for what skills and knowledge the next generation of employees will need.

By Heather Kerrigan

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