Top 10 Exit Interview Questions for Employers

When an employee gives their 2-weeks’ notice, you may be wondering why they are leaving. Are they moving out of state? Did they decide to go back to school? Are they going a different route with their career? Or was it something about your workplace culture or even a jerk boss that upset them? 

In some cases, what a departing employee may tell you as their reason for leaving might not be the true underlying issue that pushed them out the door and onto greener pastures. 

Queue the need for exit interviews. Companies use these to understand why an employee is leaving and to gather feedback for making improvements. 

While not every departing employee will be willing to share their candid feedback about their experience, you may discover valuable insight in an exit interview that, when implemented, can prevent other key employees from leaving.

Importance of Exit Interviews 

Exit interviews offer a unique opportunity to gather honest and valuable insight that might not arise from a stay interview. Because departing employees are not burdened by concerns about job security or office politics, their unfiltered feedback can be a goldmine to guide improvements in company policies, management practices, and overall culture.  

Even if an employee has not had a great experience working for your company, conducting exit interviews can leave a good impression on a worker who might also be your current or future customer. This current employee may also have suggestions on areas for improvement or perhaps need a referral for future job positions, which can all be discussed in the interview. 

Because they benefit both the organization and the employee experience, conducting exit interviews should be seen as an essential part of your offboarding process. 

Importance of Acting Upon Exit Interview Feedback 

Although having an exit interview process promotes a culture of openness and continuous improvement, simply conducting exit interviews is meaningless if feedback is not implemented. In fact, conducting exit interviews and then failing to act upon employee feedback may be worse than not having an employee exit interview at all. 

If you decide to conduct exit interviews at your company, be prepared to analyze the data and implement suggestions, where possible. 

Common Exit Interview Questions 

Exit interview questions are designed to dig deep into the employee’s experience and uncover the reasons for leaving. 

The following is a template you could use for an exit interview. (If you would like this in pdf format, please contact your certified HR expert.) 

1. What initially led you to explore opportunities outside the company? We're curious about the early signs that influenced your decision.

This question aims to identify the key reasons for the employee’s departure, providing a comprehensive view of their overall experience. 

2. In what ways did your direct supervisor contribute to—or hinder—your ability to thrive in your role? Think about coaching, support, communication, or resources provided.

Finding out how employees feel about your company’s managers will help determine whether being poorly managed played into their decision to leave. 

3. Looking back, what aspects of your job energized you the most? Which parts did you find most challenging or frustrating? Please share both high and low points of your day-to-day experience.

This question should help identify whether the employee was being sufficiently (or overly) challenged and if they were able to maintain a healthy work life balance. 

4. How has your role evolved since your first day, and were those changes aligned with your expectations? Consider responsibilities, workload, or team dynamics.

This question may cause deep reflection on how employee feedback was considered as roles evolved. 

5. Can you recall specific moments or actions that made you feel genuinely appreciated at work? Recognition can come in many forms—what mattered most to you?

When employees feel undervalued, it often leads to dissatisfaction and, ultimately, their decision to leave - even if they do not recognize this or articulate it as a primary driver for leaving.  

6. If you had a magic wand to change one or two things about the company, what would you improve or do differently? This is your chance to offer honest, constructive feedback about salary, employee benefits, or anything else you would like to have changed.

Asking this question may provide key insight for your HR team to change or implement going forward. 

7. Were there any conditions—internal or external—that might have persuaded you to stay? Think compensation, career growth, culture, flexibility, etc.

This question is meant to highlight whether employees felt they had a future within the organization and their next job. It also helps identify whether the workplace culture played a role in the employee’s decision to leave. 

8. Would you feel comfortable recommending this organization to someone in your professional network? Why or why not? We're interested in your honest take on our workplace reputation.

This question gives insight into how employees feel about your company overall, with an opportunity for them to explain more. 

9. Before you made your decision to leave, did you share any concerns or suggestions with your manager or leadership? If so, how were they received?

If this is the first time you are hearing about a concern, you may need to implement employee and/or supervisor training to ensure employees feel comfortable voicing concerns in the future. 

10. Is there anything else you'd like to share—thoughts, concerns, or ideas we haven’t touched on? This is an open space for anything you feel is important to say.

This question can yield valuable insights into enhancing workplace policies and overall employee satisfaction. 

If your company has implemented any programs or initiatives to help with employee retention, be sure to gauge their effectiveness in loyalty and deterring the employee from wanting to leave. 

How (and when) to Conduct Effective Exit Interviews 

Conducting effective exit interviews requires careful planning and execution. Consider the following elements prior to executing the interview. 

Timing of an Exit Interview 

Try to schedule the interview during one of the last few days prior to the employee leaving. While there may be other items to discuss as part of your offboarding checklist, this is not the time to collect company property or have the employee turn in their access badge. 

Who Conducts the Interview? 

The choice of interviewer significantly impacts the higher quality of feedback. Using a neutral party, such as an HR representative, can lead to more honest and comprehensive responses. Be sure to emphasize confidentiality, as this encourages employees to provide candid feedback. 

Create an Exit Interview Policy 

A formal policy for exit interviews standardizes the process across your organization, which will ensure departing employees in different departments all have the opportunity to provide valuable insights. 

Does it Have to Be an Interview or Can Exit Interview Feedback Come Via a Survey? 

Some companies may be stretched for time and resources to conduct exit interviews. If this is your situation, requesting a departing employee to take a survey is better than no feedback at all.  

However, an interview provides an opportunity to get more in-depth information from the employee and can guarantee you will get a response, whereas a survey can more easily be ignored.  

Analyzing Exit Interview Data 

After you have conducted an exit interview, the next critical step is analyzing it. What insights did you receive regarding your company's processes for recruiting, onboarding, and training employees? Were any complaints made about a specific supervisor? If so, is this the first time you received complaints about that manager, or have other employees voiced similar frustrations? 

If you gathered feedback from recent changes made to company initiatives and programs, what did you learn? Did you identify areas needing improvement within a new program? Were there frustrations with a new initiative? This data might provide a roadmap for strategic decision-making – or at least a reminder that you need to gather information and insight from other employees before more decide to leave. 

Please note that if you do not plan to use the data you gather from exit interviews to initiate change or betterment, you should reevaluate your purpose for conducting the exit interview in the first place. 

Mistakes to Avoid in Exit Interviews 

While exit interviews are valuable, the following mistakes can undermine their effectiveness. 

1. Not asking the employee if they have previously spoken up about their concerns

One crucial mistake is failing to ask if the employee voiced their concerns in the past. This helps assess whether they felt heard or, instead, encountered barriers to communication. While this puts you in a very vulnerable position as the company representative, the employee should be mindful to avoid burning bridges for future opportunities and referrals. 

2. Excessive negativity

Being excessively negative on behalf of the employee or the employer during an exit interview can be counterproductive. Maintain professionalism and offer both positive and negative feedback that is constructive. Remember, you want this to end on a positive note. 

3. Inviting indirect or direct managers and supervisors into the interview

Involving the direct manager in an exit interview may hinder open and honest feedback. Depending on the relationship with the employee, an independent third party may want to conduct the interview and provide anonymous, summarized information to management. This helps maintain trust and encourages genuine feedback for meaningful insights and improvements from future departing employees. 

Summary 

Exit interviews are a vital tool for any organization looking to improve employee retention and satisfaction. By understanding the reasons behind employee departures, companies can make informed decisions that enhance the work environment for current and future employees.  

From preparing for and conducting effective exit interviews to analyzing the data and implementing positive changes, each step is crucial in leveraging the full potential of these interviews. Embracing the insights gained can lead to a more resilient, thriving workplace where employees feel valued and heard. 

For more resources or guidance with your exit interview strategy, please contact your Stratus account manager. Not a current Stratus HR client? Request a free consultation and our team will contact you shortly.