The Final Conversation—50+ Exit Interview Questions to Try

Exit interviews are an essential part of any well-functioning organization but the quality of the exit interview questions is what determines whether any valuable information is collected. Exit interview surveys provide a wealth of information about an outgoing employee, right from their reasons for leaving to all the experiences they had working there. Effective exit interview questions need to be sensitively worded to ensure that the outgoing employee is treated respectfully, however, they also need to be clear and straightforward to ensure that accurate information is collected.

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Working Through the Best Exit Interview Questions Available

Exit interview questions are used when an employee begins the transition process to leave their role and the organization in order to move on to other opportunities. The exit interview survey works to gather details on various parts of the employee’s experience with the organization, breaking down the time they spent working for the company into feedback that can be fed back into the system. 

These interviews are better-conducted face to face, however, they can take place through a virtual meeting as well. Some employers might choose to forego an interview in favor of a survey form. This method is quicker and more to the point as it involves a set list of questions that don’t require elaboration. While that can be beneficial if all the employer wants are brief ratings of the workplace, the experience can feel insincere to an employee who isn’t offered a more humane conversation. 

The employee is also more likely to just gloss over the details when it’s conducted via a form, as they have no reason to answer the questions seriously—only quickly. An exit interview is often recommended over conducting a survey, but an employer is free to determine what works best for his organization. 

Who Conducts an Exit Interview?

An exit interview can be conducted by the manager, employer, or a member of the HR team. A manager is often best placed to understand the feedback of the employee and feed it back into the system, however, depending on their relationship with the quitting employee, the results of the survey may be skewed. 

The exit interview questions also involve questions about the manager and the employee’s perception of his leadership style, which means the employee cannot provide honest feedback in their presence. For best results, it is usually helpful to have a neutral third party conduct the interview so the employee is not put in an uncomfortable spot. 

The HR personnel will also be able to take on a more delicate approach to the questions and handle any emotions from the employee better. This is always a better approach to asking effective exit interview questions. 

Top Exit Interview Questions To Consider

If you’re considering implementing exit interviews at your organization, then it’s good to start strong with good questions that are to the point. While there is an endless list of questions one can ask, overwhelming the employee with hours’ worth of questions is not ideal either. The employer needs to set their sights on the top exit interview questions that are most relevant to their organization. 

The company might prioritize different values or put more emphasis on the quality of the manager or the culture of the company. Depending on this preference, the emphasis on the questions might change, however, the interview or survey should still try to cover more ground and see the whole picture.

The exit interview questions list can be created by starting with a few separate categories on all the areas that the company wants to cover. Once done, questions can be designed in each category to create a data bank of options and then a few can be selected from each of these categories. Let’s look at some examples of common but effective exit interview questions available.

Reasons For Leaving

• What were the top two factors you had in mind when looking for a new job?
• If you’re okay with explaining the reason for leaving, could you give us some insight into what prompted this decision?
• What was the final factor that led you to start looking for another job?
• Are there any specific benefits or features that prompted you to take on the new job?
• Is there anything we could do that would prompt you to change your mind about switching roles?

How They Felt About Their Work

• What would you say was the best part about your work experience here?
• What did you struggle with the most when it came to your daily duties?
• Did your daily work match what you expected from the job description when you were hired?
• What were the biggest pressures of doing your job?
• What was the biggest motivating factor to do your job?
• What were the biggest challenges you faced working from home?
• What did you think about the division of responsibility within your department, was it equally split?
• Did you receive sufficient training and support to perform your role?
• Was time management an issue with your role?
• What are some changes you would recommend in how your particular role is handled by the organization?
• Are there any infrastructural changes that are necessary to support the worker who takes on your role?

Their Experience With the Manager

• Was your manager able to provide sufficient support for your day-to-day responsibilities?
• What was your relationship like with your manager?
• How did your manager handle stress?
• Was your manager open to feedback and discussion?
• Was your manager able to conduct fair reviews and provide useful feedback?
• Were there any specific issues that came up with your manager that you haven’t been able to share so far?
• Was your manager able to make sufficient time for you and the team?
• Are there any improvements your manager can make to make the task of the incoming employee easier?

Their Experience With the Team

• What was it like working with your team?
• Were there any recurring conflicts that came up within this team?
• Was there a fair division of responsibility between everyone on your team or did anyone have to take on more than their share of the work?
• Are there any major incidents that occurred within this team?
• Did you face or witness any harassment/bullying from team members?
• What are some improvements you would recommend for this team to work better?
• Was the team able to work together or was the work more individualistic?

The Company Culture and Work Setting 

• What were your most and least favorite parts of working at our company?
• Did you think the organization was able to accurately reflect the work culture that is promoted?
• What are some areas where the work culture can improve?
• Was it easy for you to access resources within the organization? Can you give us an example of why it was/was not accessible?
• Were the communication channels easy to access and available when you needed them?
• Were you satisfied with the benefits offered by the organization?
• Was there sufficient interaction across different teams?
• When team building activities and group events were conducted, did you feel it helped you to get to know your coworkers better?
• Did you feel sufficiently informed about major business decisions and the organization’s strategy?
• Were there any signs of toxic workplace behavior that you think would be important for us to address?
• Was the organization able to recognize and reward your achievements or those of your teammates sufficiently?
• Were you able to maintain a healthy work-life balance when you worked with us?
• Are there ways you would have liked the inclusivity to improve within the company?
• Would you recommend working at the organization to another friend? Why/Why not?

Company Infrastructure

• Were all the facilities or the office sufficiently accessible to you?
• What are some thoughts you have about the company infrastructure?
• Were the systems and equipment updated sufficient to perform your role?
• Was the cafeteria able to meet your dietary requirements?
• Were there meeting rooms and cabins available when necessary?
• Did you have any complaints about the hygiene standards maintained by the organization?
• Was the safety equipment repaired and replaced regularly?
• Are there any changes to the company infrastructure that you would recommend?

This extensive list of exit interview questions should give you a sense of what kind of information you might benefit from collecting from outgoing employees. You can close the interview by opening up the floor for the employee to add their own thoughts regarding the organization, and cover any area they have additional thoughts on. 

While gathering this information, it is essential to ensure that the employee is not targeted for giving negative feedback as that is part of the process of collecting their opinion—not all of it will be good.

Once the exit interview or survey is complete, the organization needs to seriously reflect on the data and look into what changes might be usefully implemented in the organization. The application of the feedback is what will ensure that no other employee leaves for the same reasons. 

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