An Essential Guide to Employee Exit Interviews

An exit interview offers employers a great way to understand why an employee is choosing to leave a company. It’s a chance for employees to provide the company they’re leaving with constructive feedback and suggestions on ways to improve company culture, processes, and team experience.

The exit interview benefits both employer and employee, creating an open dialogue and understanding of the employee’s experiences during their tenure. The exit interview process may provide both parties with actionable insights for the company and leave departing talent with a positive closing interaction.

This article gives step-by-step instructions for conducting an effective exit interview with a departing employee. We’ll also offer tips on finding the right questions and strategies to ensure successful interviews.

What is an exit interview?

An exit interview is a meeting between an employer and an employee conducted when an employee leaves the organization. The purpose of an exit interview is to gain feedback that can improve the organization’s processes, working conditions, and employee experience.

During the interview, employers ask questions about the employee’s experience, such as why they’re leaving, what they liked or disliked about their job, and what suggestions they have for improvement.

The information gathered during an exit interview helps identify areas in which the organization can improve the work environment for current employees and make changes to retain high-achieving talent in the future.

The benefits of conducting exit interviews

Conducting an exit interview with an employee who has quit, was terminated,, or has given notice offers many benefits. Exit interviews can:

• Provide a platform to understand why the employee has decided to leave, helping to reduce employee turnover
• Gather deeper insight into company policies, practices, and procedures that may need adjustment or improvement
• Offer insights to improve the effectiveness of your company’s hiring and onboarding practices, helping to ensure future candidates are a better fit and improve employee retention
• Give your company an opportunity to thank the employee for their contributions and leave a door open for a future relationship
• Identify potential liabilities like discrimination or harassment in the workplace.
• Lay the groundwork for a smooth transition of duties and responsibilities to the next employee
• Provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of the organization’s training and development programs
• Create longtime advocates for your brand by showing respect and appreciation for departing team members

These potential benefits demonstrate the clear business value for adding an exit interview to your offboarding process.

When should you conduct an exit interview?

Timing exit interviews is an important part of the employee offboarding experience. It’s best practice to conduct the exit interview shortly before the employee leaves so the feedback you receive is based on recent memories and experiences.

In short, the best timing for an exit interview is as close as possible to the employee’s final work day.  

Best practices for preparing for an exit interview

Preparing for exit interviews will help ensure you reap the most benefits from the exercise. Below is a list of best practices to help you prepare.

• Collect a list of appropriate exit interview questions. Ensure these are relevant and valid questions that will help provide insight into the employee’s experience and reasons for leaving. Also ask questions about how their previous role can be improved for the next employee.
• Invite all necessary parties to the exit interview. It’s typically best to have an organization representative who is not directly involved with the employee. This way, the employee can feel comfortable speaking openly and honestly about their experience with the organization.
• Have the exit interview face to face or via video conference. This will enable personal interaction between the parties, which creates a better space for open and honest dialogue.
• Reinforce confidentiality in the exit interview. Ensure the departing employee knows that the conversation will remain confidential and that any criticisms or personal information shared will not be tied to them individually after the interview.
• Provide the exiting employee with a written summary of the interview. A post-interview written summary will ensure both parties remember the details of the conversation and any agreements made.

What should an exit interview include?

Exit interviews should consist of open-ended questions designed to elicit honest employee answers about their experience working for the company. The questions should cover topics like employee satisfaction and offer opportunities for constructive suggestions about how the company can improve the work environment.

Some good questions to ask in the interview include:

• What were the most rewarding aspects of your job?
• What were the most challenging aspects of your job?
• How could the company improve its onboarding process for new employees?
• Did you feel supported by your colleagues, HR department, and management?
• How could the company better foster a positive work environment?
• What would have made your time at the company more enjoyable?
• How did you feel about the company’s benefits package and work-life balance?
• Do you think your job has changed since being hired?
• Is there anything that would have changed your mind about leaving? If so, what?
• What were some of your criteria for choosing your new role or employer?

The importance of getting open and honest feedback from the employee cannot be overstated. This honest feedback is valuable information that can help identify strengths and weaknesses in the company. The feedback can also help inform leadership of new development opportunities to improve employee engagement, retention, and morale. It’s vital to create an environment that encourages people to be honest and open when sharing their experiences.

Additionally, an exit interview should inquire about the employee’s future plans and ask for any additional specific suggestions they may have for the company. Lastly, be sure to thank the employee for their time and dedication to the company.

What should you not say during an exit interview?

When conducting an exit interview, remain professional and follow the policies and procedures of your company. Do your best to make the employee feel comfortable expressing their experience openly and honestly. Refrain from making any negative comments about the employee, as this can create an uncomfortable atmosphere and will likely not elicit helpful feedback.

Be sure to understand any specific subjects that could pose legal issues for your company. You should avoid any discussion or admission of employer responsibility that may arise from complaints made by the employee. Lastly, avoid expressing opinions or making assumptions about the employee’s reasons for leaving the company.

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How to conduct an employee exit interview

When it’s time to conduct an employee exit interview, the following steps can help ensure all goes well.

Employee exit interview steps:

1. Create the ideal environment
2. Maintain a positive and encouraging tone
3. Employ proper interview techniques
4. Analyze the results

1. Create the ideal environment

Creating an ideal environment helps your departing employee feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and experiences. Here are a few tips to help create the right atmosphere:

• In advance, explain the purpose of the interview, with a focus on gathering insights to improve the processes of the organization.
• Conduct the interview in a quiet and private space with minimal distractions.
• Have all necessary documents or materials ready for the employee at the face-to-face interview.
• Ensure there is an open, respectful dialogue between the employee and the company representative—everyone should feel like their opinion is valued and respected, no matter their role in the company.
• Offer the departing employee a platform to share their experiences and feedback, such as an anonymous survey or a personal interview. This can help create a safe space to express any concerns or complaints they may have.
• Ask the right questions. Asking open-ended and not leading questions will help the departing employee feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts and experiences.
• Provide a positive atmosphere; show appreciation for the departing employee’s contributions and acknowledge the positive experiences they’ve had in the workplace.

2. Maintain a positive and encouraging tone

Maintaining a positive and optimistic tone during an exit interview will help ensure the individual feels comfortable and respected throughout the process. Here are a few tips to help:

• Build trust by listening and being genuine, open-minded, and understanding
• Continually encourage honest and open dialogue and avoid harsh or judgmental language
• Frame your questions in a way that encourages your former employee to express their thoughts and feelings without feeling pressured or judged
• Keep the conversation focused on the future, explaining how their feedback may be used to improve the role of a future new hire
• Take the time to express your appreciation for their work and efforts during their time with your organization
• Offer any available helpful resources that the individual can use in future endeavors

3. Employ proper interview techniques

Conducting a successful exit interview requires techniques that facilitate attentive listening, positive communication, and clarifying questions. Here are some of the best practices to use:

• Be an attentive listener. Give the departing employee your full attention. Being attentive means actively listening to their responses without interrupting or cutting them off. Show engagement by nodding, making eye contact, and using appropriate body language.
• Use positive language. Avoid using negative words or phrases that could make the departing employee feel defensive or attacked. Instead, frame your questions and responses positively, creating a sense of safety and promoting open and honest feedback.
• Clarify responses. Ask clarifying questions to ensure you fully understand the departing employee’s responses. Repeat back what you heard to confirm that you have interpreted the employee’s perspective correctly. This also shows that you’re actively listening and care about their feedback.
• Avoid being defensive. It’s likely that you won’t agree with everything the employee says. However, this is not the time to try to correct the employee’s thinking. Simply listen and indicate that you’ve heard the employee’s perspective.
• Create a safe and comfortable environment. Conduct the interview in a quiet, private setting where there will be no interruptions. When interacting with the departing employee, demonstrate empathy and understanding. Encourage the employee to be open and honest by assuring them that their feedback is important and that all comments will be kept confidential.

4. Analyze the results

After conducting a series of exit interviews, it’s time to follow up and act on employee feedback. Using the feedback of exiting employees can help the company improve the work environment, company culture, employee morale, and overall job satisfaction.

One way to use this information is to develop strategies that address specific areas of concern. For example, if many exiting employees are dissatisfied with the work environment, the company can develop new initiatives to promote a healthier work-life balance, such as offering flexible schedules, remote working opportunities, or wellness programs. Or, if employees feel undervalued, the company can implement recognition programs to acknowledge the hard work and contributions of employees. Companies may also discover that employees are looking for more development opportunities to advance their careers, which could help inform a company’s new training and development program.

Exit interview data may help you identify and fix ineffective processes that are causing frustration for employees. By streamlining workflows and removing unnecessary steps, employees can focus on their core responsibilities without getting bogged down by administrative tasks. Fixing poor processes can improve productivity, reduce stress levels, and increase retention rates.

Your data can also inform your human resources department about how current employees feel about the existing benefits package. It may reveal that offering better time-off benefits, such as paid vacation and sick days, would boost employee morale and job satisfaction. Employees who feel supported and valued are more likely to be engaged and committed to their work.

Analyzing the employee feedback received in exit interviews offers invaluable insight into how a company can provide better experiences for future employees. Use effective root cause analysis to understand which process improvements will have  the greatest impact. Monitor results after any changes are made.

By using this information to develop strategies that address specific areas of concern, companies can improve their workplace culture, work environment, employee morale, and overall job satisfaction.

Conduct effective exit interviews with help from Upwork

Exit interviews are a crucial tool for understanding why employees leave your company. Exit interviews allow employers to gain valuable feedback from departing employees and identify patterns or issues within the organization. With this feedback, companies can make the improvements necessary to retain high-performing talent.

If you’re interested in conducting exit interviews for your company or need help analyzing the results, consider working with HR consultants from Upwork. Upwork offers a wide range of experienced HR professionals who can help you conduct and analyze exit interviews to get the greatest benefit from this valuable exercise.

Visit Upwork today to find the right HR consultant for your needs. And if you’re an experienced HR professional, consider listing your services on Upwork to help clients find and utilize your services.