Exit interview questions to ask departing employees

An employee's last few days on the job usually include returning company equipment, transferring responsibilities, and processing final pay. It's also the right time to conduct an exit interview.

The feedback you gather may not change one employee's decision to leave, but it can help you make changes that improve employee retention. That’s important because replacing an employee can be expensive. It typically costs between 50% and 200% of their annual salary, according to research from Gallup and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).

This guide explains what exit interviews are, why you need them, how to conduct them effectively, and how to use the feedback to improve your workplace.

What is an exit interview?

An exit interview is a structured conversation or survey conducted with an employee who is leaving a company, typically during their final one to two weeks. It's a chance to learn about an employee's experience, understand why they're leaving, and find out what might have changed their decision.

Exit interviews are most commonly associated with employees who leave voluntarily, but employers may also use them after layoffs or other types of separation.

Exit interviews can take a few forms:

• A one-on-one conversation. Usually led by a manager, HR contact, or someone outside the employee's direct chain of command.
• A written survey. Sent electronically, often used alongside or instead of a conversation for employees who prefer to write out their answers.
• A phone or video call. Common for remote teams or when scheduling an in-person meeting isn't practical.

The right format depends on your team size and how comfortable the departing employee is speaking candidly with whoever is asking.

The importance of exit interviews

An exit interview allows you to gather feedback before an employee leaves. As you collect feedback from multiple employees, you can identify trends, improve workplace policies, and make more informed decisions about hiring, management, and retention.

Exit interviews can help you:

• Identify workplace issues that contribute to employee turnover.
• Spot recurring feedback about managers, workloads, communication, or career growth opportunities.
• Gain insights about staffing, compensation, training, and job responsibilities.
• Improve your hiring, onboarding, and management practices.
• Prioritize changes that can help you retain employees and build a stronger workplace.

Exit interview questions to ask

The best exit interviews feel like a conversation, not a questionnaire. Use open-ended questions that encourage employees to be candid with their answers, and ask follow-up questions when they mention something important.

You don't need to ask every question below. Instead, choose the topics that make the most sense based on the employee's role, tenure, and individual circumstances.

Reasons for leaving

Understanding why an employee decided to leave can help you identify issues that may affect future hiring and retention.

• What is that most significant factor that led you to start looking for a new opportunity?
• Was there a specific event or moment that influenced your decision to leave?
• Is there anything that might have changed your decision? Frame this as a chance to gather ideas for future improvements, not to open a counteroffer negotiation.

Role and workload

These questions can help you assess whether the role matched expectations and whether employees had the support they needed to succeed.

• Did your day-to-day responsibilities match what you expected when you were hired?
• Was your workload manageable most weeks?
• Did you have the tools and resources you needed to do your job well?

Management

Feedback about managers can reveal opportunities to improve communication, coaching, and team support.

• How would you describe your relationship with your direct manager?
• Did you receive enough feedback and recognition?
• Was there anything your manager could have done differently to support you?

Culture and work environment

These questions can help you understand how employees experienced your workplace beyond their day-to-day responsibilities.

• Did you feel like part of the team?
• How would you describe the work environment?
• Did the company's values align with your experience?

Compensation and benefits

Compensation isn't always the main reason employees leave, but it's helpful to recognize whether it influenced their decision.

• Did pay or benefits factor into your decision to leave?
• How did our compensation compare to your new role, if you're comfortable sharing?
• Were there benefits you wish had been offered?

Growth and development

These questions can reveal whether employees felt they had opportunities to learn, advance, and build their careers.

• Did you see a clear path for growth or advancement here?
• Did you receive the training or development opportunities you needed?
• What skills or experience are you hoping to gain in your next role?

Overall feedback

End with a few broad questions to give employees an opportunity to share anything you haven't already discussed.

• Would you consider working here again in the future?
• Would you recommend this company to a friend or former colleague?
• Is there anything else you'd like us to know?

How to conduct an effective exit interview

A little preparation can help you get more useful feedback from an exit interview. Before the conversation, decide who will lead it, when it will take place, and how you'll document the responses.

• Set the timing. Schedule the interview during the employee's last week rather than their final day. You’ll have more time for a thoughtful conversation, and there will be less pressure to wrap up loose ends.
• Choose the interviewer. A neutral party, such as HR or a manager outside the employee's reporting line, is often more likely to receive candid feedback than the employee's direct manager. A neutral interviewer can also help reduce bias in the feedback you collect and lower the company's legal risk if sensitive issues come up.
• Pick the format. An in-person or virtual conversation allows you to ask follow-up questions. A written survey gives employees time to reflect and may be a more comfortable option for sensitive topics. You can also offer both.
• Set expectations. Explain that the purpose is to learn from the employee's experience and improve the workplace, not to challenge or defend their feedback. Also let them know how confidential their responses will be, how you'll handle any serious complaints they raise, and what your policy is on providing references.
• Document responses consistently. Use the same core questions and a consistent format so you can compare feedback across multiple exit interviews. AI-powered survey or HR tools can help standardize this documentation and make it easier to analyze themes later.

What to do with exit interview feedback

The value of an exit interview doesn't end when the conversation is over. Reviewing feedback from multiple employees can help you pinpoint recurring issues and make actionable changes.

• Track responses in one place. A shared spreadsheet or simple database works well, as long as responses are recorded consistently and can be reviewed over time.
• Review feedback regularly. Set aside time each quarter or twice a year to look for common themes and discuss potential improvements.
• Escalate sensitive issues. Involve HR or company leadership if feedback points to a serious workplace concern. For example:
• Harassment or discrimination: Treat reports as formal complaints and investigate. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) advises employers to respond promptly and take appropriate corrective action when harassment or discrimination is reported.
• Wage and hour concerns: Flag reports involving unpaid wages, overtime, misclassification, or other potential wage and hour violations for appropriate review.
• Patterns of unfair treatment: Look for trends, such as employees from a particular group reporting unfair treatment or limited advancement. Escalate recurring concerns that could indicate a broader workplace issue.

Turn feedback into action. Use recurring themes to guide improvements. For example, if employees consistently mention limited growth opportunities, it may be time to review your career development or employee retention strategies. Pair exit interviews with stay interviews—conversations about what keeps current employees engaged—to spot retention risks early.

Exit interview mistakes to avoid

The way you conduct an exit interview can affect the quality of the feedback you receive. Watch for these pitfalls during the process.

• Skipping the exit interview altogether. Even a short conversation or survey is better than collecting no feedback at all.
• Having a direct manager conduct the interview. Employees may be much more guarded with their responses, especially if their manager influenced their decision to leave.
• Asking leading questions. Keep questions open-ended so employees can share their perspective without feeling steered toward a particular answer.
• Failing to document feedback. Record responses consistently while they're fresh so you can compare feedback across multiple exit interviews.
• Promising changes too soon. Listen carefully, thank employees for their feedback, and avoid committing to changes before you've reviewed the broader picture.
• Reviewing interviews in isolation. Look at feedback from multiple exit interviews to spot recurring issues and decide where improvements may be needed.

How QuickBooks Workforce supports offboarding

An exit interview helps turn one employee's departure into an opportunity to improve your workplace.

QuickBooks Workforce team management software helps you handle the rest of the offboarding process by bringing HR and payroll together in a single connected system. You can manage employee records and documents, complete offboarding tasks, and keep payroll information accurate as employees leave. AI-powered document templates can help you prepare and store employee paperwork, while automated HR workflows keep offboarding tasks moving.

With HR and payroll in one place, QuickBooks Workforce supports every stage of the employee lifecycle—from hiring and onboarding to payroll and offboarding.