Why exit interviews matter more than you think

One of your best employees has given their notice.  You know that you cannot change their mind and get them to stay.

You also know they will want to leave a positive impression behind for future reference checks. Knowing this, is there any point in doing exit interviews with them?

Absolutely! Exit interviewees should play an integral role in your employee retention strategy.

What are exit interviews and why do companies conduct them?

Generally, exit interviews are conducted when an employee leaves a company or a member leaves an association they belong to.

These interviews always happen after final notice has been given. Often, a company will not have any prior warning that an employee is planning to leave or has been looking for a new job.

Exit interviews become the last opportunity you will have to obtain information about how this employee sees your company, their manager, and even their team.

Why exit interviews are important even when employees have already resigned

Traditionally, employees were assumed to leave for a higher salary. But two decades of research now show that career development, workplace culture, and management quality drive most voluntary departures,  with compensation typically acting as a "final straw" rather than a root cause.

There could be many issues going on in a department that neither HR nor management have any idea about.

A team lead might not think that the complaints they receive are a big deal, or they may be afraid of bringing forth negative feedback for fear of repercussion, and so they might decide not to pass any of that information on.

When complaints and problems are not brought forward, no one knows that something needs to be fixed.  Exit interviews afford a safe space for an employee to give honest but necessary feedback.

You may think that exit interviews are a case of “too little, too late”;  it is not like it will prevent the resigning employee from moving on. And you are right; this is not an attempt to stop that particular employee from leaving.

However, if done well, you can use the information gained to stop other great employees from following them out the door. This is why exit interviews are so important.

How exit interviews help employers gather honest employee feedback

Exit interviews allow an employee to say what worked in their role and what they would like to see changed for the next person.

Previously, an employee may have felt that saying anything negative about a situation would have jeopardised their job. These fears are removed once they hand in their resignation.

Resigning employees may be more willing to share feedback than they were during their employment. However, research shows that some employees still withhold information or soften criticism to protect professional relationships, future references, or their reputation. Creating a confidential and psychologically safe environment can improve the quality of feedback received.

They may still be cautious when speaking about complaints, but they will generally provide a better picture of any problem areas they encounter.

For particularly valuable insights, some organisations conduct a follow-up conversation several weeks after an employee has left, as employees may be more candid once they are fully settled into their new role.

How to conduct effective exit interviews: Best practices for HR teams

Plan for them in advance

You do not want to surprise and stress a departing employee in the last hour of their last day. Schedule a time to talk as soon as possible after they have handed in their resignation.

Exit interviews are typically most effective when scheduled during the employee's notice period, after initial emotions have settled, but before the employee has fully disengaged. Some organisations also supplement this with a post-departure follow-up interview to gather additional insights.

Focus your questions

Start with light conversation. Assure the employee there will be no negative consequences from your discussion. Whenever possible, the interview should be conducted by a neutral party rather than the employee's direct manager. Employees are generally more comfortable sharing candid feedback when the interviewer is perceived as impartial.

Then start asking questions that are pertinent to your company’s values and goals. 

These may be around cultural fit, advancement, unconscious bias, engagement, professional development, or benefits and salary.

Every company will have different areas of concern, and getting facts will help address them proactively.

One of the most valuable questions to ask is:

What caused you to start looking for another job?

However, this question should be paired with others that explore the employee's final decision to leave, any specific events that influenced that decision, and what the organisation could have done differently to retain them.

In addition to understanding why an employee started looking elsewhere, consider asking what ultimately influenced their decision to accept another opportunity, whether there was a specific turning point, and what changes might have encouraged them to stay. These questions often provide more actionable retention insights than a single question alone.

End on a positive note

Thank the employee for their time after the exit interview. Let them know you have listened to their feedback. Make a commitment to them to use the information to improve the workplace.

Take action

Now that you have this information, make sure to address any newly raised concerns right away.

Provide constructive feedback where needed. Work with remaining employees to resolve issues and problems so that you do not lose another great employee for the same reason.

The value of exit interviews comes from identifying patterns across multiple departures and acting on those findings. Reviewing trends over time is often more useful than focusing on individual comments in isolation.

Exit interviews vs stay interviews: Building a complete employee feedback strategy

Exit interviews should be viewed as one part of a broader employee listening strategy. Because they occur after an employee has already decided to leave, they are inherently reactive and should be supplemented with proactive feedback mechanisms.

Many organisations now complement exit interviews with stay interviews, which are structured conversations with current employees designed to identify retention risks before they result in resignations. Together, stay interviews and exit interviews provide a more complete picture of the employee experience.

In addition, quarterly performance reviews, satisfaction surveys, department meetings, and weekly 1-on-1s are all opportunities to gather feedback throughout the year and provide a platform for making effective changes.

By continually gathering feedback from employees through multiple channels, organisations are better positioned to identify recurring themes, understand the underlying causes of turnover, and address issues before they affect retention, engagement, or performance.

Making changes is better than losing exceptional employees you worked so hard to hire.

Need to replace a departing employee? Airswift can help

If you are looking to replace a departing employee, finding the right person quickly is critical to maintaining team performance and productivity.

Airswift helps organisations attract, source, and secure top talent across a range of industries, combining global reach with local market expertise.

Whether you are hiring for a specialist role or building an entire team, our recruitment experts can help you find candidates with the skills and experience needed to drive your business forward.

Contact our workforce solutions specialists to learn how we can support your hiring needs.