An exit interview is a conversation between an employee who is leaving a company and either their manager or a member of HR.

Performing an exit interview with staff who are moving on can help your company to understand why they are leaving, providing valuable information on what your organisation could improve on, but also what you’re doing well.

An exit interview offers employees a chance to be candid with their reasons for leaving, any issues they may have faced working there, what they liked about their job and share any suggestions they may have for improvement.

They can also help to provide an avenue for individuals to gain closure and leave their job feeling listened to. Departing on a positive note can help former employees to speak highly of the organisation after their employment, affecting your reputation in the long run. 

Why to use an Exit Interview Template

Following an exit interview template will help you to get the most out of the process, ensuring that you are asking all the right questions and that you keep on track during the conversation. It also allows you to be more strategic in the collection of your information, making it easier to come up with a plan to improve things afterwards if needs be.

Following a template can help you to cover all the relevant topics, maintain consistency across all interviews, be productive, and stick to a time limit and structure.

Download Now: Free Exit Interview Template

How to Get the Most Out of the Process

Many companies conduct exit interviews, collect insightful data but don’t analyse it or share it with the senior leaders who can enact change.

Although the sharing of information with the senior team is necessary, it needs to be done in a respectful manner of the former employee to protect their privacy, particularly if they mentioned names of any of their colleagues.

The person who conducted the interview should go through the answers and note down any key points that are worth sharing with the senior team.

If the exit interview process has identified any issues, such as a problem with the company culture or amenities in the workplace, it should be discussed at a formal meeting and an action plan should be put in place to try and solve the problems.

Exit interviews are too often the first time that an employee has been able to express their feelings or concerns, and by that time it is often too late to get them to stay. Employees should be asked in regular conversations why they choose to stay with the company and what might make them consider leaving. These conversations can help the company to uncover any issues before they lead to turnover.

Free Exit Interview Template

Start following a structured Exit Interview template in order to strategically gather relevant information and get the most out of the process.

This template covers:

• Questions about leaving and the company in general
• Questions about training and development opportunities
• Questions about company culture
• Questions about work conditions