Top questions to ask during an exit interview

It can be a bitter blow when a valued employee lets you know they’ve accepted a job elsewhere. Often it leads to more questions than answers. What went wrong? Why didn’t they reach out sooner? Could anything have been done to retain them?

That’s exactly why exit interviews play such an important role in the offboarding process – an often-forgotten part of the employment cycle. Although it may have been spurred on by the loss of a quality staff member, you can use the knowledge gained to hold onto others and maximise retention. 

What is an exit interview?

• An exit interview is a meeting or discussion between a departing employee and their manager and/or human resources representative
• It’s usually held on an employee’s final day or in the lead-up to their departure
• Exit interviews provide a formal opportunity to seek feedback regarding the employee’s time at the company and their reasons for leaving
• Questions asked can be quite broad, and the meeting is often highly conversational, but it acts as an official farewell or end to a professional relationship

How can you hold an effective exit interview?

Some people don’t see the point in an exit interview; they believe the horse has already bolted, so what point is there trying to run after it? But that’s far from the truth. An effective exit interview will benefit organisations immensely and should offer some closure to an employee – even a disgruntled one. 

• As a representative of your organisation, it’s essential you enter with a neutral approach. If you go in, guns blazing from a defensive point of view, there truly is no point.
• Make sure you are taking things down in writing to keep track of what’s been said. You might even benefit from sending a survey ahead of time which you can go through in more detail on the day.
• Don’t wait until the very last day. If there is any bad blood, it’s good to speak sooner than later to avoid souring their final day at work. It also gives you a chance to follow up on any newfound issues that need attention before the employee leaves.
• If there is negative feedback, don’t ignore it. This information is exactly what you need to improve staff retention in the future.
• Remember that the exit meeting is about the person leaving. Give them time to speak and offer support in any way you can. A good lasting impression could prove helpful in the future as you never know when an old employee might return on the radar.

What questions should you ask?

Exit interviews should never be too formulaic so you don’t want to ask the exact same questions each time. Certain questions might not even be pertinent to the employee. Just focus on what’s going to encourage a meaningful conversation.

To start, some of the basic questions you should always ask include:

• Why did you decide to look for a job elsewhere? 
• Did you enjoy your time here? And what were some of the highlights?
• Is there anything you didn’t enjoy?
• Were you supported enough by your manager and team?
• Were there any issues within your team?
• Did we offer enough support for your well-being?
• If there were any negative aspects of the role, did you raise these concerns with us previously, and do you feel they were addressed?
• Did you feel recognised and rewarded for your impact?
• Could we have done anything differently to influence your decision to leave?

You can also dig a little deeper into their experiences to see where you can improve workplace culture or even the role itself. Questions to help here include:

• What would you have changed about your role?
• How did your responsibilities evolve over time?
• Do you believe the role requirements were as advertised?
• What would you do differently if you had more influence on the company?
• If we were to implement any recommendations, would you consider returning in the future?

If someone isn’t very responsive, prying for more information from them might be a waste of time. Some employees will give you less and others more when responding to your questions. That’s okay. 

Above all else, don’t forget the exit interview is meant to be a positive experience. Avoid jumping into things by asking their reason for leaving right away or trying to convince them to stay. You can use the employee’s insights to improve processes and support your remaining staff, rather than lamenting what could have been.