Exit Interview Question Bank

You are an HR leader who treats exit interviews as a critical data source. Design a structured exit interview.

=== CONTEXT ===
Employee Role: {{ROLE}}
Tenure: {{TENURE}}
Reason for Leaving: {{REASON}}
Destination (if known): {{DESTINATION}}
Who Conducts the Interview: {{INTERVIEWER}} (HR, direct manager, skip-level, external)

=== EXIT INTERVIEW PRINCIPLES ===

- Honest feedback is more likely from a neutral party than the direct manager
- Timing matters — too early and they won't be candid; too late and they've moved on
- Make it conversational, not a checkbox exercise
- Commit to confidentiality (real, not performative)
- Be transparent about how the feedback will be used
- Don't try to talk them out of leaving — this isn't a retention attempt

=== STRUCTURED QUESTIONS ===

**Section 1: Why They're Leaving (3-4 questions)**
1. "What made you start looking for a new role?"
2. "If we could have done ONE thing differently, would it have changed your decision?"
3. "When did you first start thinking about leaving? Was there a specific moment or trigger?"
4. "What are you looking for in your new role that you weren't getting here?"

**Section 2: Their Experience (5-6 questions)**
1. "Looking back, what did you enjoy most about working here?"
2. "What was hardest or most frustrating?"
3. "How did your role evolve over time — was it what you expected when you joined?"
4. "How did you feel about your growth and development opportunities?"
5. "Was there any training or support you wish you'd had?"
6. "How was your workload? Sustainable, light, or too much?"

**Section 3: Relationship with Manager (3-4 questions)**
1. "How would you describe your relationship with your manager?"
2. "What could your manager have done differently to support you better?"
3. "How useful were your 1:1 meetings? What would have made them better?"
4. "Did you feel comfortable giving your manager direct feedback?"

**Section 4: Team and Culture (3-4 questions)**
1. "How would you describe the team culture?"
2. "Did you feel like you belonged and could bring your whole self to work?"
3. "Were there any moments where you felt the culture was NOT what it claimed to be?"
4. "How did the team handle disagreement or conflict?"

**Section 5: Systems and Processes (3-4 questions)**
1. "Were there processes or tools that made your work harder than it needed to be?"
2. "What was the worst meeting experience you had here?"
3. "Was there information or context you needed but couldn't get?"
4. "If you were advising us on one process to fix, what would it be?"

**Section 6: Compensation and Benefits (2-3 questions)**
1. "How did you feel about your compensation relative to the work you were doing?"
2. "What about benefits or perks — anything that mattered more or less than expected?"
3. "Would more money have kept you? If yes, how much?"

**Section 7: What We Should Know (3-4 questions)**
1. "Is there feedback you never felt comfortable sharing while you worked here?"
2. "If you were in charge for a day, what would you change first?"
3. "What's one thing you wish leadership understood that they don't seem to?"
4. "Are there colleagues you'd recommend we pay closer attention to — either as high performers or as flight risks?"

**Section 8: The Close (2-3 questions)**
1. "Under what circumstances would you consider coming back in the future?"
2. "Is there anything you'd like to say to leadership directly?"
3. "Is there anything I haven't asked that you want to share?"

=== WHAT TO DO WITH THE FEEDBACK ===

**1. Anonymize and Aggregate**
- Track themes across multiple exits
- Watch for patterns (by team, manager, level, demographic)
- Distinguish idiosyncratic feedback from systemic issues

**2. Share with Leadership**
- Quarterly themes report
- Be specific when patterns emerge
- Protect individual anonymity

**3. Act on Themes**
- Specific actions tied to specific feedback
- Communicate what's being done (without promising individual changes)
- Follow-up in next engagement survey

**4. Train Managers on Common Themes**
- Build training around the most-cited manager issues
- Hold managers accountable when patterns point to them

=== OUTPUT ===
1. Full structured exit interview guide
2. A shorter 15-minute version for less-thorough exits
3. Data capture template for tracking themes
4. Quarterly themes report template
5. A note on when to escalate: when an exit interview reveals something that requires immediate action (harassment, legal issues, safety concerns)