As a manager or business owner, it's important to strive for a company culture that sets the stage for open, honest, and productive communication among employees. However, even in the healthiest of work environments, workers may still have reasons to hold their cards close to the chest—especially regarding the less favorable aspects of their experiences. That's why exit interview questions offer such a unique opportunity for gathering transparent feedback and, ultimately, helping to reduce employee turnover.
"Exit interviews are an important part of running an organization or business because they can give you honest insight into areas of growth that you may not have identified otherwise," says Christian (Chris) Lovell, a career expert for SoFi and founder of the career education business Careers by Chris. "Employees are more likely to vocalize any issues they've had as they are on their way out the door when the stakes are lower."
These end-of-employment conversations aren't always negative, Lovell adds—and they can be just as informative when they highlight what's going right. Read on to learn which 10 exit interview questions you should always ask so you can know what's working and make data-driven improvements on what's not.
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1. "Why have you decided to leave the company?"
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One of the most common questions to ask during an exit interview is why the employee has decided to leave the company. If they've already mentioned a reason in their letter of resignation or in a previous conversation, you can ask them if they would feel comfortable expanding on those reasons in greater detail.
"This helps identify specific reasons for turnover, whether they are related to the job, management, work environment, or personal reasons," says Ana Alipat, recruitment team lead at Dayjob Recruitment.
2. "Do you feel that onboarding and training prepared you for your role?"
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This question asks the exiting employee to reflect on their early days in their role and whether the company did enough to prepare them for success.
Lauren K. Milligan, a career coach and resume writer for ResuMAYDAY, says that by asking this question, you can gain crucial information to help you fine-tune your onboarding or training process so that more employees might thrive in their roles in the future.
Milligan suggests posing follow-up questions that drill down into what worked and what didn't. For instance, you can ask: "Did you feel like the process properly acclimated you for your job? Were your job responsibilities and expectations made clear?"
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3. "Did you feel your contributions were recognized and appreciated?"
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Often, employees who feel recognized and appreciated in their roles will be more motivated to do their best and less likely to leave their roles prematurely. If you notice a pattern in exit interviews in which employees feel underappreciated, this could highlight an important area in need of growth.
"Recognition is critical for employee morale," says Justin Marcus, co-founder and CEO at Big 4 Talent. "Lack of appreciation can lead to dissatisfaction and turnover."
4. "Can you describe your relationship with leadership or management?"
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Asking employees to describe their relationship with company leadership may help managers identify a common blindspot: the need for self-reflection at the company's highest levels.
Tawny Lott Rodriguez, an award-winning HR leader who currently serves as the director of human resources at Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School, says you can ask this either as an open-ended question or even give employees the option to rank their approval of leadership on a one to five scale.
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5. "What did you like most about your job?"
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Asking employees to share what they liked most about their roles serves a couple purposes. First, it helps clarify which aspects of the role might attract new talent in the future. "Understanding what employees valued can help in enhancing those aspects for current and future employees," Alipat explains.
It can also help you end your working relationship on a more positive note, rather than focusing solely on the employee's reasons for leaving or areas in need of improvement.
6. "What did you dislike most about your job?"
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It's also important to ask what the employee disliked most about their job.
Asking this question "identifies areas that need improvement, whether it's job roles, tasks, or other factors that led to dissatisfaction," says Alipat.
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7. "Did your time here meet your career advancement expectations?"
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This question can help you identify whether employees feel they can grow in their roles. Milligan recommends asking this to determine whether the company should provide more career advancement opportunities or make changes to existing ones.
8. "How would you rate and describe the company culture?"
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Company culture can be difficult to describe—but according to Harvard's Professional and Executive Development Division, there are a few common benchmarks that might indicate that your culture is a positive one. These include employees feeling trust and psychological safety, a sense of belonging, professional development opportunities, healthy conflict resolution, and reasonable flexibility and work-life balance.
Asking an exiting employee to describe the company culture—or to rate the culture using specific benchmarks—"provides insights into the real perception of the company culture and highlights any discrepancies between intended and actual culture," says Alipat.
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9. "Do you have any suggestions for improvement?"
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It's also useful to ask employees directly whether they have any advice for company improvements. "This encourages constructive feedback and practical suggestions that can be implemented to improve the workplace," Alipat says.
According to Harvard Business Review, one creative way to ask this question is to have the employee complete the sentence, "I don't know why the company doesn't just ______." This exercise allows them to share ideas for innovation that seemed obvious from the vantage point of their role.
10. "Were you satisfied with your compensation and benefits package?"
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One of the most common reasons people leave their jobs is to earn a higher salary elsewhere. Therefore, Milligan recommends asking whether the employee was satisfied with compensation and benefits and whether they felt they received adequate salary increases during their tenure at the company.
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Questions to Avoid During an Exit Interview
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There are also some don'ts when it comes to exit interviews. Lovell says you should avoid overly specific or leading questions—for instance, "Are you leaving because of XYZ's management style?" or "Are you leaving because of (insert specific reason here)?"
"Not only can this lead to the blame game and pointing fingers, but it also may distract the employee from sharing the information they originally wanted to or intended to share—information that's potentially more valuable to your company," says Lovell.
Alipat recommends steering clear of questions that are overly personal or intrusive, as well as those that might be perceived as confrontational. One common example is asking, "Why didn't you bring up these issues earlier?"
Questions that are too specific to one incident are also problematic. "Focus on overall experiences rather than isolated events," Alipat advises.
Conclusion
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As Lovell points out, an exit interview is only worthwhile if you have a plan in place to analyze the information you've collected and implement changes based on the feedback.
That said, when used as part of a grander plan for data-driven improvement, exit interviews are a powerful tool for understanding employee turnover and improving workplace conditions.
“By asking the right questions and avoiding inappropriate ones, employers can gain valuable insights that lead to a more satisfying and productive work environment. Remember to approach the process with an open mind, ensuring confidentiality and showing genuine interest in the departing employee's feedback,” Alipat notes.
