Exit Interview Template

The exit interview provides an opportunity to receive transparent feedback about your company from a departing employee. It also provides a chance to gain valuable insights into what employees really think about their time in your workplace – information that could be used in the future to improve staff retention and the quality of the organisation.

While exit interviews should allow for candour, comments or complaints, employees who were retrenched or terminated may be clouded by emotions or negativity, and not accurately reflect the overall pulse of your organisation. In fact, because this type of departure from an organisation is upsetting, these individuals may not wish to take part in an exit interview. Exit Interviews should not be compulsory, but the most helpful exit conversations take place with people who leave voluntarily.

Learn how you can handle an exit interview, so that departing staff leave on positive terms with minimal impact on your company’s brand or reputation, while allowing you to gain a better understanding of how employees regard your workplace.

How to conduct an exit interview

Even with the best laid plans for an exit interview, departing employees don’t always have positive things to say; so, the first thing to remember is to be prepared for negative comments.

Don’t take anything personally and resist the urge to make any negative comments of your own (even if the exiting employee may express their negative impressions). While a staff member may use the exit interview to vent, the responsibility falls to you to remain professional and composed and uphold the good reputation of your company.

Focus on what’s being said

The exit interview is a time to focus on the employee’s comments and keep your own input to a minimum.

The benefit of having pre-prepared questions is that you have discussion points to focus on. Allow the departing employee to do the bulk of the talking, to help you understand any weakness in your workplace practices.

End the interview by thanking the employee for their contribution to the company. Maintaining a positive outlook is important as it never pays to burn bridges with a former employee. Not only could they return to your workplace further down the track, but they could also have secured a role with a competitor, supplier or other stakeholder, where any public negative views could be damaging to your organisation.

What to weigh up after the exit interview

Once the exit interview is completed, go back over your interview notes and consider how you can put the information you’ve gathered to good use.

Outgoing employees can give you an in-depth understanding of your workplace, and whether there are weaknesses in your recruitment process or company structure that may have led to this outcome. It’s important to look at exit interviews as a learning process above all – one that can provide you with vital information that can lead to improved retention rates and help your company attract high-calibre employees in the future.

What's in this template?

• Reason for leaving
• About the job
• Remuneration and benefits review
• Company review
• Supervisor/line manager review
• Management review
• Any other feedback?