You have been contracted as a human resources (HR) consultant by a limited liability company (LLC) in Wilmington, Delaware, to

EXIT INTERVIEWS

Voluntary employee exits: One question answered with qualitative feedback

Job-Related Reason for Leaving % of respondents Retirement 1% Better pay 10% Better benefits 4% Lack of training 22% Working conditions Not Applicable Relationship with management 31% Relationship with peers Not Applicable Lack of career opportunities 29% Changing careers 3%

Do you have any additional comments you would like to make?

Positive comments left by voluntary leavers:

“Enjoyed time here, progressed and developed skills; nice culture and lots of focus on the ‘we.’”

“Fantastic team leader, can’t fault . . . has been the best I have ever had but accepted another job with better pay and more career opportunities. I really liked working with my Singaporean colleagues who definitely are interested in the bigger picture.”

“Happy with my manager, given all the support needed. Accounting always able to accommodate my needs. I am leaving for more training, career, and benefits for my family.”

“I am taking a break to care for our newborn baby and plan to be a stay-at-home dad for the rest of this year. I had a great time working in a multicultural organization. So much respect for the very hardworking teams, especially the Singapore team, which sometimes works without breaks. A lot to learn from them!”

“Good time spent with my sales manager learning more about tele sales; however, I am leaving for a better sales incentive plan and less hierarchical style of management.”

“My colleagues here in the USA told me that having a common agenda before meetings will be very helpful. They appreciated knowing what to expect before going in the meetings. I ensured that I always shared the agenda well ahead of meetings, and I received positive feedback for it.”

Less positive comments from voluntary leavers, which primarily reflected themes and comments reported earlier in the survey, were quite specific to individual situations:

“This company seemed to have a very top-down management style in which high- level managers make strategic decisions, and the lower staff implements it, especially in Singapore.”

“They expect us to understand the Singaporean SOP, but we were not trained. I doubt if a final copy of the SOP even exists.”

“I think this company expects employees to work and doesn’t expect us to push back or provide feedback. I wanted my viewpoint considered by the executive team, and it left me frustrated.”

“Issues took too long to get addressed—mentioned to management but not taken on board. No transparency in the department. Difference between how people are treated in the department.”

“Vagueness, and it seemed like it took forever for top leadership to give support to solve complaints. This made me feel unheard, and it seemed like they just wanted to avoid disagreements.”

“I love our Singapore colleagues. However, both units could not figure out a common action tracker. We always insist on synchronous meetings. Why can’t we manage a tracker asynchronously?”

“When I suggested ideas for improvement, it took the task force forever to get new ideas implemented, and it was difficult to speed up this process. I don’t see why we have to go through the Singapore team's management when we can collaborate at a team level?”

“Inconsistent ways of working. Communication needs improvement from top leadership.”

“Some people feel they will never be promoted . . . need more comms between management and team members.”

“I just got the feeling that only older people were going to have a chance at this company and left for more career and professional development opportunities.”

“Things can definitely move faster when it comes to processes. However, the company has a very top-down management style. All the strategic decisions are made in Singapore while we just implement. ”

MBA 687: Employee Engagement Surveys

Response Rate The survey response rate is the first indication of the level of employee engagement in any organization. Of the 140 employees invited to take the survey, 40 responded, which is a response rate of 28.5%. As a rule, rates higher than 50% are best, while rates lower than 40% may indicate trust problems within the organization, lack of faith in leadership, and employees’ reluctance to engage in improvement efforts until leadership demonstrates a clear commitment to change. Company Data 1. Years of service with this organization

Less than 1: 52.5% of respondents 1–2: 27.5% of respondents 3–5: 15% of respondents 6–10: 2.5% of respondents 11–15: 0 16+: 0 Prefer not to answer: 2.5% of respondents

2. My race/ethnic identification

African American or Black: 60% of respondents Hispanic or Latino/a/x: 12.5% of respondents Anglo American or White: 12.5% of respondents Asian: 5% of respondents American Indian or Pacific Islander: 0 Multiracial or Other: 7.5% of respondents Prefer not to answer: 2.5% of respondents

3. I am currently in a supervisory role

Yes: 7.5% of respondents No: 90% of respondents Prefer not to answer: 2.5% of respondents

4. I received a merit increase during the past two years

Yes: 7.5% of respondents No: 90% of respondents Prefer not to answer: 5% of respondents

5. I received a promotion during the past two years

Yes: 7.5% of respondents No: 90% of respondents Prefer not to answer: 2.5% of respondents

6. I plan to be working for this organization in one year

Yes: 60% of respondents No: 12.5% of respondents Prefer not to answer: 27.5% of respondents

Employee Engagement Questions Professional Development:

• In the last six months, my manager has talked to me about my progress, and we developed goals to help me grow.

o 36% agreement • I am satisfied with the on-the-job training I have received.

o 27% agreement • There is adequate cross-training in my department.

o 36% agreement

Company Vision, Values, and Mission: • I am familiar with the company’s vision and values.

o 26% agreement • I have a clear understanding of the organization’s direction.

o 36% agreement • The organization is changing for the better.

o 26% agreement Teamwork or Workgroup:

• I receive the support I need from employees in my workgroup to do my job effectively.

o 89% agreement • My coworkers make me feel that I am part of the team.

o 78% agreement • I trust my coworkers.

o 83% agreement • My workgroup cooperates to get the job done.

o 73% agreement

Senior Leader/Middle Manager: • Senior leaders focus on creating a positive team atmosphere.

o 36% agreement • Senior leaders are open, honest, and transparent.

o 36% agreement • Senior leaders encourage and empower me to take initiative and suggest

improvements. o 26% agreement

• My middle manager is open, honest, and transparent. o 70% agreement

Culture:

• This company is a team-oriented organization. o 36% agreement

• This company challenges the status quo and seeks continuous improvement. o 18% agreement

• Employees have a strong sense of personal responsibility for the performance of their department and the performance of the company.

o 80% agreement • Overall, people care about my well-being at work.

o 34% agreement Work Environment:

• I see the connection between the work I do and the benefits received by customers.

o 65% agreement • I have enough authority to make the decisions I need to make.

o 36% agreement Communications:

• I usually hear about important changes through management communication rather than rumors.

o 36% agreement • In my workgroup or team, my opinions count.

o 72% agreement

Diversity:

• The company tries to promote a work environment free from discrimination and harassment.

o 41% agreement • The environment at the company is supportive of the expression of different

opinions, styles, and perceptions. o 18% agreement

• I am satisfied with the company’s efforts to support and encourage differences.

o 34% agreement Productivity:

• The technology, tools, and resources I have access to allow me to be as productive as possible.

o 83% agreement • Staffing levels have kept up with the increasing customer base, workload, and

infrastructure. o 26% agreement

• Deadlines set by senior management are realistic. o 18% agreement

• I am given the opportunity to do my best work. o 26% agreement

Performance Management:

• I have a clear understanding of work expectations. o 60% agreement

• My performance has a significant and direct impact on my pay. o 26% agreement

MBA 687 LEADERS SELF EVALUATIONS

Note: Individuals rate their skill levels on the following scale: Not Skilled | Minimally Skilled | Somewhat Skilled | Skilled | Very Skilled Title: Vice President Job Summary Leads departments and operations for an entire organization and creates its overall vision, mission, values, beliefs, and strategic goals. Directs and evaluates other executive leaders' work and the success of the organization. Maintains awareness of external and internal competitive landscapes, opportunities for expansion, customers, markets, and new industry developments and standards. Manages the strategic plan that guides the direction of a team's business and collaboratively works with the executive management team to identify, prioritize, and act upon company needs, focusing on integration strategies to ensure optimal efficiency. This position requires competencies such as analytic and strategic thought, vision, orientation to detail, customer focus, talent management, resource management, and leadership skills. Vice President Self-Assessment: As I reflect on this past year, I have driven business expansion from startup and evaluated the organization’s success. This past year, we identified ways to increase revenue and decrease costs by 10%. I analyzed financial reports with the accounting manager, prepared new operating budgets, and greenlit pilot projects using AI and chatbots to compete in an increasingly digital economy. My understanding of the external factors affecting the organization will help us think ahead and be ready for changes in the market. My most tremendous success was bridging the gap between the company’s day-to-day running and the board of directors' sweeping visions. Since taking on the new role, I realize my leadership skills come from years of experience and knowledge throughout life. This wisdom has impacted my judgments, decisions, and actions. I have learned to focus on a clear purpose and mission. I have consistently shown commitment and motivation since joining the company, and I want us to succeed. I am a leader who focuses on meeting set deadlines and objectives on time. I realize that I can be too controlling in a project, and I don't give other team members enough room to contribute or develop their ideas. I must learn to give others more space and let them take the initiative, too. Maybe I should try harder to promote the company's culture and values within my team. While I regularly hold meetings with this in mind, I should focus on boosting team spirit and collaboration. I am often frustrated, and I find it hard to communicate when faced with other leaders' behaviors. Despite the challenges we faced this past year, I am incredibly proud of what my team and I have accomplished during the past year.

Skill Level: Not Skilled:

Minimally Skilled:

Somewhat Skilled:

Skilled: Very Skilled:

Your level of experience demonstrating each competency

I have not learned this skill

I have little experience demonstrating this competency and need substantial direction to perform it effectively

I have some experience demonstrating this competency but still need guidance

I have a good amount of experience demonstrating this competency independently

I always demonstrate this competency and could provide guidance/ training to others

Leadership Skills ✔ Strategic Thinking Skills

✔ People Management Skills

✔ Change Management Skills

✔ Communication Skills

✔

Ethical Practice ✔ Tech Savvy /Computer Skills

✔ Fostering Teamwork

✔

Visioning ✔ Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

✔

Cross-Cultural Awareness

✔

Learning Agility ✔

Title: Sales Manager Job Summary Leads the sales and marketing functions, including strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, and maintaining scalable processes that differentiate and highlight the value proposition from concept to execution for all business areas. Drives profitable revenue and market share growth through domestic and international marketing programs to email, print/digital, CMS, and social media platforms. This person is highly collaborative and works cross-functionally to devise campaigns that engage, inform, and motivate to raise brand awareness. Manages and coaches inside sales and outside sales teams. Sales Manager Self-Assessment: After taking the time to evaluate my performance, I would like to highlight a few of my best achievements from the past year. At the beginning of the period, I spearheaded the launch of our organization's first sales industry research report. My promotional efforts helped secure a speaking engagement at two national sales conferences, which will help the company meet its annual objective of increasing industry exposure and promoting our customer value proposition. Additionally, I assisted in overhauling our website content with IT and helped procure a new data partner. As a result, our paid search efforts’ ROI has increased by 120% year over year and influenced $6 million in our latest service line sales. Because of this year's marketing strategy's ambitious nature, there were times when I pushed my team hard to perform at their best, put in extra hours, and deliver on highly demanding projects. While I would never compromise on my drive for results, I must take the time to give more thoughtful and considerate feedback to members of my team. This quarter, I noticed that I could have delegated and communicated strategic goals to our team better. Passing more projects to the outside sales team will help me become more efficient while also providing them more opportunities for skill-building and career development. Additionally, I believe meeting with the VP, call center, and sales team bi- weekly instead of monthly will help improve cross-department communication and ensure marketing campaigns are better aligned with overall company goals. By the end of next quarter, my goal is to improve my cross-cultural practices by taking an online training session. I've been working more closely with the call center team in the past few months and want to collaborate more effectively to understand and achieve our team goals.

Skill Level: Not Skilled:

Minimally Skilled:

Somewhat Skilled:

Skilled: Very Skilled:

Your level of experience demonstrating each competency

I have not learned this skill

I have little experience demonstrating this competency and need substantial direction to perform it effectively

I have some experience demonstrating this competency but still need guidance

I have a good amount of experience demonstrating this competency independently

I always demonstrate this competency and could provide guidance/ training to others

Leadership Skills ✔ Strategic Thinking Skills

✔ People Management Skills

✔ Change Management Skills

✔ Communication Skills

✔

Ethical Practice ✔ Tech Savvy /Computer Skills

✔ Fostering Teamwork

✔

Visioning ✔ Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

✔

Cross-Cultural Awareness

✔

Learning Agility ✔

Title: Accounting Manager Job Summary Manages accounting functions, including analyzing various accounting functions (A/R, A/P, cost, and accounting) to understand what makes clients profitable, ensures accurate transaction records, evaluates financial processing, and controls transaction processes. Manages sub-ledger agreements (inventory, AR, sales, COGS) to the general ledger and investigates and corrects any variances. This person sets the example of integrity, ensuring monies and assets are protected against unauthorized use or removal and loss due to a criminal act or breach of trust. Works cross-functionally, multitasks, problem solves, thinks of the big picture, and focuses on process improvements to improve efficiency and follow generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Coaches accounting associates and works with operating managers to ascertain their need for accounting data. Accounting Manager Self-Assessment: After taking the time to evaluate my performance, I would like to highlight a few of my best achievements from the past year. At the beginning of the period, I Initiated corrective actions for maintaining accounting records, improving record accuracy by 75%. The accounting team implemented an accounting records maintenance system, replacing the old, inefficient one. I spearheaded our organization's new digital timekeeping system, replacing the outdated process and eliminating "paper" timekeeping. We continuously met audit standards this year, and this is for two years in a row, owing to exceptional account management skills. This quarter, I noticed that I have not been delegating enough work to other team members and have challenges communicating strategic goals to our team. Passing more projects to the accounting team will help me become more efficient while also providing them more opportunities for skill building and career development. By the end of next quarter, my goal is to streamline the accounting systems by implementing standard operating procedures for each subsystem. It is important not to build silos and understand the big picture and our team goals. I am working on transactional accounting improvement, but I also think a strategic approach is necessary. I have worked closely with the customer success coordinator/team leader, but I would like to address with top leadership the communication breakdown, the top-down approach, and ways to collaborate more frequently. I can offer my professional opinion on where best to align finance and accounting programs to the strategic plan and on building action plans to support overall business success.

Skill Level: Not Skilled:

Minimally Skilled:

Somewhat Skilled:

Skilled: Very Skilled:

Your level of experience demonstrating each competency

I have not learned this skill

I have little experience demonstrating this competency and need substantial direction to perform it effectively

I have some experience demonstrating this competency but still need guidance

I have a good amount of experience demonstrating this competency independently

I always demonstrate this competency and could provide guidance/ training to others

Leadership Skills ✔ Strategic Thinking Skills

✔ People Management Skills

✔ Change Management Skills

✔ Communication Skills

✔

Ethical Practice ✔ Tech Savvy /Computer Skills

✔ Fostering Teamwork

✔

Visioning ✔ Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

✔

Cross-Cultural Awareness

✔

Learning Agility ✔

Title: Customer Success Manager Job Summary Manages the customer success function and provides input on strategic customer plans to help identify areas where the company can improve overall service delivery, quality, and excellence. Develops customer relationships that promote retention and loyalty. Creates department policies and procedures that optimize the customer experience. This person has the highest accountability level for call center supervision and performs basic human resource tasks such as hiring and training staff. Coaches the customer success coordinator/team leader in improving service efforts, scoring performance, and developing support strategies based on customer feedback. Customer Success Manager Self-Assessment: In the past year as a call center manager for the company, I've increased the customer satisfaction rate by 37% through overseeing day-to-day contact center operations and business planning, employee development, operational efficiency, and service excellence. I worked with the customer success coordinator to revise the existing cold call script and added a stronger value proposition, resulting in an increased call time average. We started interfacing closely with the sales department to ensure alignment and spent a great deal of time "QC-ing" or monitoring queues and tracking inbound call performance. I coached our customer success coordinator on performance metrics, including inbound calls, call waiting, and abandonment rates. We started working on creating a new customer service training manual and quality assurance form. I empowered the customer success coordinator to work with the accounting team on the new timekeeping implementation. After reflecting on my performance, I noticed that while my ability to build rapport with employees and customers helps me as a manager, I will need to delegate more to the customer success coordinator as the business grows. I began serving as the backup trainer and assisted in onboarding nine new representatives, all of whom finished their first quarter meeting performance standards. Given this experience and my commitment to continued growth, I think there is room for improvement. I want to shift the call center culture to a more employee-centric workplace where our employees are happy, comfortable, and valued. I am aware of the possibility that the various technological advancements in AI voice processing, customer analysis, and chatbots may improve customer satisfaction; however, it could also make some employees redundant. I am unsure if our employees see leadership as approachable and observant or sensitive to what the agent is trying to tell us, even indirectly. If we can fix this, we can improve business performance and reduce turnover.

Skill Level: Not Skilled:

Minimally Skilled:

Somewhat Skilled:

Skilled: Very Skilled:

Your level of experience demonstrating each competency

I have not learned this skill

I have little experience demonstrating this competency and need substantial direction to perform it effectively

I have some experience demonstrating this competency but still need guidance

I have a good amount of experience demonstrating this competency independently

I always demonstrate this competency and could provide guidance/ training to others

Leadership Skills ✔ Strategic Thinking Skills

✔ People Management Skills

✔ Change Management Skills

✔ Communication Skills

✔

Ethical Practice ✔ Tech Savvy /Computer Skills

✔ Fostering Teamwork

✔

Visioning ✔ Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

✔

Cross-Cultural Awareness

✔

Learning Agility ✔

Title: Customer Success Coordinator/Team Leader Job Summary Provides industry-leading customer care, order assistance, technical customer service, and customer success team leadership while engaging in real-time troubleshooting of inbound Tier II and Tier III customer requests by email and telephone. Coaches employees in all customer service and contract sales facets, manages the customer care escalation chain, and works with the customer success manager to improve overall service delivery improvement, quality, and excellence. This person has a high level of accountability for call monitoring to improve service efforts and scoring performance and develops support strategies based on customer feedback. Works with a knowledge-sharing mindset, works with a sense of urgency, works cross-functionally, is a problem solver, and thinks outside the box while troubleshooting the root cause of all customer success center problems to identify the action(s) required to resolve the customer’s issue immediately. Serves as customer success trainer. Customer Success Coordinator/Team Leader Commentary: In the past year as lead agent in the call center for the company, I've worked with my manager to increase customer satisfaction rate by 37% through revising the existing cold call script, adding stronger value propositions, and focusing on quality control QC-ing and agent dashboards. I spent time with agents, communicating performance expectations on inbound calls, call waiting, and abandonment rates. I monitored calls using our new quality assurance form. I handled 15–20 customer requests to speak with a supervisor per day and positively resolved the issues. I assisted my manager in 36 employee evaluations, detailing observations of positive performance, opportunities for improvement, and specific details of supervisor calls taken for the week. I demonstrated the ability to handle 50 or more calls a day as the lead customer success agent, too. By decreasing my talk time by 15 seconds per call, I believe I can increase my call-per-hour rate by at least 10% next quarter without negatively impacting customer satisfaction. I also worked with the accounting manager and her team to implement the new digital timekeeping system and train all agents. After reflecting on my performance, I noticed that while my ability to work with employees at all company levels is one of my best skills, I understand our customers. I am ready to take on more HR-related responsibilities. I began serving as the lead customer success trainer and helped my manager onboard nine new representatives. I would like to understand the call center's company goals and work with my manager to shift the call center culture to a more employee-centric workplace. Many call center workers have been here less than two years (27.5 %), and most call centers run an average 30–45% turnover. Let's focus on retention. I believe that additional sales training and education about our products would help me increase my up-selling performance in line with company expectations. I want to discuss a potential promotion to assistant customer success manager.

Skill Level: Not Skilled:

Minimally Skilled:

Somewhat Skilled:

Skilled: Very Skilled:

Your level of experience demonstrating each competency

I have not learned this skill

I have little experience demonstrating this competency and need substantial direction to perform it effectively

I have some experience demonstrating this competency but still need guidance

I have a good amount of experience demonstrating this competency independently

I always demonstrate this competency and could provide guidance/ training to others

Leadership Skills ✔ Strategic Thinking Skills

✔ People Management Skills

✔ Change Management Skills

✔ Communication Skills

✔

Ethical Practice ✔ Tech Savvy /Computer Skills

✔ Fostering Teamwork

✔

Visioning ✔ Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

✔

Cross-Cultural Awareness

✔

Learning Agility ✔