Exit Interviews: Essential Tips and Best Practices

Companies with a strategic exit interview process can make the most of a worker’s final days. Asking standardized exit interview questions provides an opportunity to gather valuable feedback and identify trends about where recruitment and retention strategies are missing the mark, and what could be done to improve them. 

Here are our top tips for an effective exit interview process, including the best exit interview questions to ask and the best practices to build useful, reliable data.  

• The Importance of Gathering Regular Feedback 
• Three Tips to Establish an Effective Exit Interview Process  
• 20 Great Questions to Ask in an Exit Interview 
• Four Tips to Establish a Comfortable Exit Interview Environment 
• Implementing Exit Interview Feedback 
• Why Organizations Can’t Afford to Wait 
• Frequently Asked Questions 

The Importance of Gathering Regular Feedback

Getting in front of workplace issues before they make people unhappy and quit can help companies avoid the costs associated with high turnover. Prioritizing regular check-ins and engagement surveys provide snapshots of how workers are feeling. Collecting and analyzing this information can help address problems in real time, allowing companies to change course, keep people happy, and retain their workers. 

If someone does decide to leave, implementing these changes will show positive results in exit interviews and reflect a workplace culture that made people feel supported during their time with the company. 

Three Tips to Create an Effective Exit Interview Process

A key benefit of gathering exit interview feedback is analyzing the data and using it to improve the company’s retention strategy. Here are three tips to improve your exit interview process:  

1. Ask for Input from Leadership Before Collecting Data – Ask stakeholders for specific data points that will help them understand how they can support a happier, more engaged workplace. 
2. Standardize Exit Interview or Survey Questions  – Ask workers leaving the job the same questions to keep the process consistent. This will help identify relevant trends. 
3. Offer a Survey and an Exit Interview – Exit interviews (whether they’re in person or virtual) offer companies the opportunity to dive deeper into responses for additional context and clarity. Due to high turnover or scheduling issues, it may not be possible to speak with every worker before they leave. Offering alternative feedback channels like surveys or forms gives companies an option to gather their responses. 

20 Great Questions to Ask in an Exit Interview

Identifying the best exit interview questions to ask depends on the priorities of the company and should typically involve around 10 questions. The whole process shouldn’t take more than an hour.

Here are 20 great exit interview questions to get you started: 

1. What are your reasons for leaving the company?  
2. What could the company have done to motivate you to stay?  
3. What factors informed your decision to take another job?  
4. What was your impression of our company culture?  
5. What company policies did you struggle to understand or support?  
6. How well do you think your job was aligned with your goals and qualifications?  
7. What do you think the company is doing right?  
8. In what areas do you think the company is struggling?  
9. What challenges did you experience during your tenure?  
10. How would you describe your work-life balance at the company?  
11. Do you feel that your colleagues feel the same as you?  
12. What do you think are some necessary changes that could improve the company?  
13. What changes would you make to the onboarding process?  
14. Is there anyone in the company who has had a positive impact on you?  
15. Can you share a good memory from your time with the company?  
16. What has your supervisor done to promote employee engagement?  
17. Would you like to provide specific feedback about your manager or department?  
18. What are your overall thoughts about working here?  
19. What advice would you give to the person who succeeds you in your position?  
20. Would you recommend our company to other candidates? Why or why not?  

Four Tips to Create a Comfortable Exit Interview

For workers leaving the company, exit interviews are not mandatory. So, if you want to make people feel comfortable giving honest feedback, here are four tips that can help you do so: 

1. Send Meeting Invites and Exit Surveys with Advanced Notice – Departing workers usually juggle many tasks during their last few days on the job. Don’t wait until the last minute to request an exit interview. 
2. Select an Unbiased Interviewer – A human resources representative, outside consultant, or department head helps bring an unbiased perspective that encourages authentic feedback. 
3. Emphasize the Purpose and Value of the Exit Interview – Before beginning the exit interview, reiterate the purpose of the discussion and the value gained from candid responses. Summarize how the feedback will be analyzed and shared with leadership to improve company policies and processes. 
4. Keep the Interview Casual and Positive – Express appreciation for their participation and stay upbeat about their decision to move on. Maintaining a positive tone encourages participation and helps everyone leave on good terms. It also leaves open the possibility for a “boomerang hire,” in which they may return to the company in the future.

Implementing Exit Interview Feedback

Making organizational changes based on exit interview feedback can boost morale and show that the company values the process. Developing action plans to address issues identified during the exit interview process can include revising existing policies or implementing new ones, improving management training programs, or prioritizing professional development. Regardless, it’s important to prioritize changes that will have the most significant impact on worker satisfaction and retention.  

Once your company develops an action plan, it needs to communicate the changes to the workforce, sharing that they were a direct result of feedback received through the exit interview process. This establishes trust and shows a commitment to improving the company culture. 

Why Organizations Can’t Afford to Wait

In today’s fast-moving talent market, failing to react to evolving workforce attitudes and priorities can negatively impact company culture and an organization’s ability to recruit and retain top talent. Building an effective exit interview process that relies on consistent questions is paramount to an organization’s ability to quickly improve its retention strategies and create a workplace that people want to be a part of.

Frequently Asked Questions