Exit Interviews: The Importance and Benefit of Interviewing Exiting Employees

An exit interview is an important opportunity to speak with an employee who has resigned from your organisation. It allows you, as the employer, to have an open conversation about why the employee is leaving and whether there is room for improvement within your organisation, according to their valuable feedback.

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How to conduct an exit interview

Before beginning an exit interview, create or source an exit interview template to ensure observations and constructive comments are properly documented. This guarantees all topics are covered, the conversation remains productive, and the employee is properly prepared.

The interview need not be too formal; it is more important that the employee feels comfortable and able to give honest feedback. We also suggest reassuring the employee that their answers will remain confidential and won’timpact them negatively if you provide them with a reference for future employers (and stay true to your word on this).

A few examples of potential exit interview questions include:

• Why are you leaving?

• Is there anything we could have done differently to improve your experience while working here?

• Did you receive constructive feedback and support to help you improve your performance?

• Do you have any suggestions about how we can improve the employee experience?

Exit interviews work best when the employee is interviewed by a neutral party rather than a direct manager. Often, the company’s Human Resources department conducts the interview, or another Manager or Senior Employee can conduct the interview if the company does not have a HR department. A direct manager can be used as the final option to conduct an exit interview if the employee is leaving on good terms, and the relationship between manager and employee is non-hierarchical and open.

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What are the benefits of conducting exit interviews?

An exit interview serves three main purposes:

• Helps identify which areas of the organisation need improvement to retain talent and enhance the employee experience.

• Can create a positive final impression of the company to help the employee feel happy when they leave, boosting the company’s reputation. 

• Addresses specific issues and may even encourage employees to stay with the company.

Exit interviews are designed to improve your company based on employee feedback. The interviews can provide valuable insights into what is working well for the business, what is creating positive employee experiences and which areas can be improved upon.

Helpful information can be easily uncovered during exit interviews and help bring an awareness of how employees truly view the organisation. Utilising a template during an exit interview ensures that relevant and constructive data is collected to help cultivate a better workplace and implement findings.

Are you looking to improve your exit interview process? Our experienced Impact team are more than happy to help. Get in touch today!