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33 eye-opening exit interview survey questions

Last updated July 2024

Employee exit surveys (and interviews) are one of the most overlooked tools when it comes to improving employee engagement and retention.

Perhaps employers feel too awkward or find it too difficult to ask exit survey questions – but it is one of the most important steps in the employee experience cycle, because it gives you the opportunity to have a conversation about how your team really feels, and get insights that would unlikely ever be shared by team members who are still employed.

It can also provide your team members with closure, and help both parties move on amicably.

Really good exit interview survey questions don’t beat around the bush – they encourage open and honest conversations, even when the answers are confronting or hard to hear, so you can address pain points in your organisation and prevent more employees leaving.

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What is an exit interview?

An exit interview is a meeting between an employer and a leaving employee to discuss the team member’s reasons for leaving and feedback about their experience at the organisation.

This information helps companies improve their policies, culture, and employee retention strategies.

 

Why are exit interviews so effective?

Exit interviews are a chance to gather really frank feedback from departing employees – often giving you insights that might not surface during their time working with you.

Unlike other forms of feedback, exit interviews and surveys can uncover systemic issues within your company’s culture, which are often the challenges that need to be addressed most, but are overlooked.

quotation mark Unlike other forms of feedback, exit surveys can uncover systemic issues within your company’s culture, which are often the challenges that need to be addressed most. quotation mark

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What’s the difference between an exit interview and exit survey?

An exit interview and an exit survey both have the same goal – understand why an employee is leaving and gather feedback to improve the workplace.

The main difference is how they’re executed – an exit interview is face-to-face chat, whereas an exit survey is completed via an online form or survey platform.

Both have benefits and are great ways to get insights, just in different styles.

 

Are exit surveys anonymous?

Yes, exit surveys conducted with Stribe are completely anonymous.

To protect anonymity, you won’t be able to view exit surveys responses until a minimum of five employees have completed the survey, after that all results will be loaded into your reporting dashboard for viewing.

On the other hand, exit interviews are not anonymous, as they are conducted face-to-face.

This could cause exiting employees to feel uncomfortable and withhold their true feelings and experiences, so we would always recommend opting for an anonymous exit survey instead.

 

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What are the benefits of exit interviews and surveys?

Why should employers bother conducting exit interviews?

Exit feedback and conversations with employees may be difficult to hear, but they give you valuable insights into how to drive forward your business and avoid more talented employees leaving.

  • Make changes to improve employee retention
  • Pinpoint specific areas in the workplace that need support
  • Implement feedback to enhance company culture
  • Elevate your employer branding by showing you care

 

What metrics to measure in an exit interview

In exit interviews, you’re going to want to focus on measuring metrics that cover reasons for leaving, role feedback, and opinions on managers, pay, and company culture.

Also try to gather insights on the working environment, development opportunities, and whether they’d recommend your organisation to others in future.

These metrics will lead you to identify improvement areas, enhance your retention, and strengthen employer brand.

 

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Employee exit survey questions and examples

Download the free PDF of this employee exit survey question template via the form at the top of this article.

 

Exit survey questions that cover reasons for leaving

  • Why did you decide to leave the company?
    Answer type: Multiple choice or Free text.
  • Is there something we could have done to prevent you from leaving?
    Answer type: Multiple choice, Free text or Yes/No.
  • How would you rate your overall experience working here?
    Answer type 1 – 10 (Very poor to Excellent)

 

Exit survey questions that cover relationship with manager

  • How would you rate the level of support you received from your manager?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Very unsupportive to Very supportive)
  • How would you rate your manager based on providing constructive feedback?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Not constructive at all to Very constructive)
  • How valued did you feel your manager for your contributions?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Not valued at all to Highly valued)
  • How effectively did your manage communicate expectations and goals?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Very ineffective to Very effective)
  • How would you rate your overall relationship with your manager?
    Answer type 1 – 10 (Very poor to Excellent)

 

Exit survey questions that cover relationship with team

  • How well did you collaborate with your team members?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Very Poorly to Very well)
  • How comfortable did you feel sharing your ideas and opinions with your team?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Very Uncomfortable to Very comfortable)
  • To what degree did you feel a sense of belonging within your team?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (No sense of belonging to Very high sense of belonging)
  • To what degree did you feel valued by your team members?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Not valued at all to Highly valued)
  • Overall, how would you describe the social atmosphere within your team?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Very negative to Very positive)

 

Exit survey questions that cover role and responsibilities  

  • To what degree do you feel your responsibilities were clearly defined from the start?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Not clear at all to Very clear)
  • How manageable was your workload on a daily basis?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Very overwhelming – Very manageable)
  • Did you have the resources needed to fulfil your responsibilities?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Insufficient to Sufficient)
  • How well did your role align with what you thought it would be when you first joined?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Not aligned at all – Very aligned)
  • What’s one thing you wish you had more support for in your role?
    Answer type: Multiple choice or Free text.

 

Exit survey questions that cover culture and engagement

  • How likely are you to recommend our company as a place to work?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Not likely – Highly likely)
  • To what degree do you agree with this statement: Our company encourages work life balance.
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Strongly disagree – Strongly agree)
  • To what degree do you agree with this statement: Our company nurtures mental and physical health.
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Strongly disagree – Strongly agree)
  • To what degree do you agree with this statement: Our company creates an environment where everyone can speak up.
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Strongly disagree – Strongly agree)
  • How engaged do you believe our workforce to be?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Not at all – Highly engaged)

 

Exit survey questions that cover pay and benefits

  • To what degree do you agree with this statement: I was paid fairly.
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Strongly disagree – Strongly agree)
  • To what degree do you agree with this statement: I understood what I needed to do to be considered for a salary increase.
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Strongly disagree – Strongly agree)
  • How satisfied were you with your overall compensation package?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Not at all – Highly satisfied)
  • How well did our benefits package (e.g. healthcare) meet your needs?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Not at all – Very well)
  • How much did your pay and benefits influence your job satisfaction?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Low influence – High influence)

 

Exit survey questions that are future-focused

  • What’s one thing you wish our company did differently?
    Answer type: Multiple choice or Free text.
  • What do you believe are the biggest risks to our company?
    Answer type: Multiple choice or Free text
  • How can we make work more engaging for our employees?
    Answer type: Multiple choice or Free text
  • How would you rate your overall experience at our company?
    Answer type: 1 – 10 (Terrible – Excellent)
  • What piece of advice would you give to our leaders?
    Answer type: Free text

Best practices: What makes a good exit survey?

In our opinion, a good exit survey will always have three things key things – clarity, anonymity, and accountability – which means you will act from the feedback given!

 

  • Explain the why.

This part of the exit process can be awkward and intimidating, so it’s important to communicate with people about why it’s part of the off-boarding process. Explain that their feedback is appreciated, and will make a difference to the future of the business.

When people understand why behind something, they are more likely to participate.

 

  • Ask tough questions and expect tough responses.

Let’s be realistic for a moment, when employees make the decision to leave it’s usually because they aren’t happy with something going on in the workplace! (Not always, but often).

That means you must be prepared to hear negative feedback and ask some difficult questions.

Our tip is to keep an open-mind and remind yourself that feedback is a gift, not a punishment. As the saying goes – listen to understand, not to reply.

 

  • Listen actively and take action.

We’ve already touched on this point, but it’s so important it’s worth reiterating. Active listening strategies will help you to understand the perspective and experiences of exiting employees – listen to what they have to say and implement meaningful change from their feedback.

That’s all it takes to build a happier, healthier team!

 

  • Say thank you!

Finally, always take a moment to say thank you and show your appreciation for your employees’ time and feedback.

About the author

jade madeley
Jade Madeley

Starting out her early career as a journalist, Jade Madeley is an accomplished content writer with 8+ years’ experience across business, personal finance, SaaS, human resources and employee engagement. Working with Stribe, she crafts insightful content that brings complex HR topics to life and drives meaningful action.

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