Why exit interviews are important
Exit interviews are typically held after an employee gives notice and before their final working day. They are a standard part of dealing with an employee’s resignation in most companies. Although taking part in them is optional for employees, many employers encourage their exiting staff members to do so as part of their offboarding process. These conversations provide a safe and private space for departing team members to reflect on their experiences and explain what worked, what did not, and why they have decided to move on.
The goal is not to change someone’s mind about leaving and make them want to stay, but to listen, learn and improve. When conducted respectfully, exit interviews can offer insights that go beyond surface-level complaints. For example, they can highlight patterns in employee turnover, expose issues with leadership or communication, reveal gaps in professional development or work-life balance, and uncover concerns related to recognition, pay or team dynamics. Over time, these findings can help refine hiring strategies, improve the workplace culture, boost employee satisfaction and, ultimately, improve retention.
Who should conduct exit interviews?
Exit interviews tend to be more productive when conducted by someone who is not the employee’s direct manager. A neutral third party, such as an HR manager or a senior team member, can often elicit more open and honest responses. In smaller businesses, the founder or department head might lead the conversation, while larger organisations usually involve someone from the HR team with experience in handling sensitive feedback.
The person running the interview should be objective, a good listener, and familiar with the company’s values and structure. Most importantly, they should be able to engage with the employee without becoming defensive or judgmental.
How to prepare for an exit interview
Like any successful discussion, a productive exit interview starts with good preparation. It helps to begin by reviewing the employee’s time at the organisation, including their role’s responsibilities, promotions and any feedback they may have previously received and provided. This context can help tailor the conversation to their personal experience.
Next, it’s helpful to prepare a set of open-ended questions that allow the employee to reflect honestly without feeling led or pressured. You might want to create an exit interview template that you can reuse and adapt as necessary. It is always a good idea to explain the purpose of the interview upfront and reassure them that their feedback will be used constructively and handled confidentially. Offering a choice between a face-to-face meeting, video call or written questionnaire can also help the employee feel more comfortable.
Finally, it is important to create a welcoming, private space for the conversation to take place, so outgoing employees feel safe to share honest feedback. By coming prepared, organisations show that they value the employee’s feedback and are committed to using it to make positive changes for current and future employees.
8 exit interview questions to ask
These sample exit interview questions are intended to prompt honest responses and provide useful insights that can help improve your workplace.
1. What prompted you to start looking for a new opportunity?
This question helps identify the initial reason the employee decided to move on. Their answer may point to gradual dissatisfaction, a specific event or issue, or simply a desire for a new challenge. It is worth asking whether their decision was related to leadership, salary, development or personal circumstances. Understanding why employees leave may be relevant to identifying broader trends in the organisation and can help the employer improve retention strategies and support employee engagement. Additionally, feedback from departing employees can inform what job candidates are seeking in terms of work-life balance and professional development in positions, helping to refine job descriptions and set realistic expectations for a potential new employee.
2. What aspects of your role did you enjoy the most?
Understanding what employees liked about their job can help reinforce what the organisation is doing well and highlight positive feedback. Some might appreciate the autonomy or flexibility of their role, others the team environment, interesting projects or sense of purpose. These insights can not only be used to guide onboarding, recruitment and internal communications, but they can also serve as a reminder to acknowledge and invest in the elements of the workplace experience that matter most to employees. Over time, reinforcing what works well can help foster a more engaged and satisfied team.
3. What aspects of your role did you find least enjoyable?
This is an opportunity to identify tasks, systems or processes that may be causing friction or disengagement among teams. It could be repetitive work, poor communication, unrealistic expectations or unclear priorities. Understanding these pain points gives you a clearer picture of where change might be needed, which could be in the role itself or in how it is managed. Addressing these concerns can lead to better productivity, stronger employee morale and higher staff retention in the long term.
4. Did you feel your manager supported you effectively?
Since the employee-manager relationship can influence job satisfaction and retention rates, this question gets to the heart of that dynamic. If the employee did not feel valued or supported, ask how often they received feedback, whether they felt heard and whether their manager helped them grow and succeed. These insights can highlight areas where further leadership development may be needed. Sometimes, the issue may not be with the manager’s intentions but with their capacity, such as limited time, unclear priorities or lack of leadership training. Whatever the reason, these insights can highlight opportunities for improvement in management style, communication and leadership development programs.
5. Were there enough opportunities for learning and career development?
Feeling like there is room to grow is often what keeps people motivated in their roles. If someone is leaving because they felt stuck, it is important to understand why. Maybe they did not have access to training, mentoring or chances to take on new challenges. Or perhaps there were development opportunities, but they were not clearly communicated or easy to access.
Some employees might say they did not feel supported in reaching their goals, while others might have wanted a clearer path to promotion or more feedback on how to progress. Whatever the reason, their answers can highlight gaps in how learning and personal development is managed in your organisation. Making small changes, like better communication around opportunities or creating more structured career pathways, can go a long way towards keeping staff on board and helping them feel more invested in their work.
6. Did your responsibilities or workload change significantly over time?
Scope creep is common, but it can be demotivating if not managed properly. Ask whether their duties changed from what was originally described, and whether those changes were communicated clearly. If they felt overloaded or unsupported, that may point to broader issues in workload management or team resourcing. Discovering how a job role has changed will also provide you with important details to include in the job description so that your next hire fully understands the role’s demands.
7. What could the organisation have done to improve your experience?
This open-ended prompt invites constructive suggestions that can benefit the whole organisation. The employee might mention a need for clearer communication, better tools, more transparent decision-making or a stronger sense of inclusion. Encouraging this kind of feedback shows that the organisation is genuinely interested in improving the experience for everyone. While it may not be within your power to make all the proposed changes, finding out what employees value will help you understand how to improve the overall work environment.
8. Would you recommend this organisation to a friend or acquaintance?
Even if someone is leaving, they may still view the organisation positively. If they say yes, that is a good sign for your employer brand. If the answer is no, it is important to explore why. It could be due to unresolved frustrations, poor communication, lack of support or broader cultural issues that made them feel disconnected or undervalued, which can affect their workplace happiness. Sometimes people hesitate to speak up while employed, so this question creates a chance to highlight concerns they may have previously held back.
Whatever the employee’s response, this question can uncover reputational risks or deeper cultural issues that may need addressing. It can offer valuable insights into how your organisation is perceived from the inside. Taking the time to listen, and to act where needed, can help strengthen both internal company culture and external reputation over time.
Analysing exit interview question responses
Collecting feedback is only the first step. To get value from exit interviews, you need a clear process for reviewing, analysing and acting on the valuable information received. After each interview, it is helpful to summarise the key points and record them in a central system. Look for recurring patterns in your exit interview data over time, such as complaints about leadership, workload or lack of development, and group them into themes. These themes can then be shared in an anonymised exit interview form with leadership teams to guide planning, training or updates to company policies. Even small tweaks based on repeated feedback can make a big difference to current employees.
Best practices for exit interviews
A good exit interview should feel like a conversation, not a formality. Keep the tone open and neutral, and focus on understanding the employee’s experience rather than defending past decisions.
Using a consistent question structure can help you cover the right areas and makes it easier to track trends over time. Importantly, it is crucial to maintain confidentiality throughout the exit interview process, especially if feedback relates to specific individuals or sensitive issues.
Finally, always end the interview on a positive note. Thank the employee for their time and contributions and wish them well in their next chapter. When handled properly, exit interviews can provide insights that are difficult to capture elsewhere.
