not just when they leave

​Most companies conduct EXIT interviews – talking to people once they have decided to leave to understand their reasons for leaving, in the hope that the organization learns from the experience and is able to put systems in place to create a culture that is beneficial for the employee and the organization. 
And in almost all the exit interviews that I’ve known of – the element of truth has been super thin (if at all) because the information, the intelligence and the insight comes too late to be of any actual value to the person leaving. 
Instead of the Exit Interview, what organizations could try and focus their resources should be the ENTRY interview. The ENTRY interview is NOT the job interview. The job interview conducted by the HR and the direct and (maybe) affiliated team focusses on the skills that the candidate possesses, and the vibe. They test for aptitude and attitude (hopefully) before deeming whether the fit is right or not and making the offer.
The ENTRY interview is what the Culture Officer (Not the HR!) should conduct with the new employee to understand their style of working, environments in which the thrive and behaviors that make them feel like they are expressing their strengths – and are feeling happy and supported while doing so.
A coworker I knew, a single mom, cared more about flexible working hours and a work from home option, more than any other benefit the organization could offer her.
Another colleague loved ‘exchange programmes’ – the opportunity to join a different team, even a different market for certain periods of time to learn a new skill, develop a different perspective and bring it all back in the service of what he was doing.
People are different – their motivations are different – and the signals they look at to feel valued, fulfilled and happy are all equally different. An ENTRY interview, arms the organization with vital information about the employee; information, that they can actually put to use for the benefit of the employee providing that information. Information from an ENTRY interview can be put into practical use to design working conditions and benefits that are personally meaningful and relevant to an employee - giving them reasons to thrive at their workplace – creating work that’s benefits all, and reducing the turnover costs that organizations face so often.
Take the time to get to know your employee with the intention of creating better conditions of work for them.  And know that the better conditions that they seek are not generic, more snacks, bigger office space and cocktail hours (These might help in the interim, but will rarely stop people from reaching for the exit).