When an employee chooses to leave, the organisation needs to understand what influenced that decision. A respectful exit conversation can reveal issues with pay, career growth, management, workload or the employee's personal circumstances.
The purpose is to learn from their experience, respect their decision and identify what could improve for the people who remain.
CIPD's guidance on employee turnover highlights the value of understanding why staff leave and addressing areas such as fair treatment, flexibility and employee wellbeing. Source: CIPD
Look beyond the first answer
"Better opportunity." "Personal reasons." "Higher salary." These answers may be accurate, but they may not explain the whole decision. A better opportunity could mean more responsibility, clearer career progression, flexible working hours or a role that better matches the employee's interests.
Start with a simple question: "What made you start considering a change?"
Then ask what made the employee decide to leave. This helps distinguish the circumstances that started their search from the opportunity that eventually attracted them.
Avoid assuming that every resignation reflects a problem with the company. Further studies, relocation, family responsibilities and a change in career direction can also influence someone's decision.
Explore the areas that shaped their experience
Use the following areas as prompts rather than assuming any one of them caused the resignation.
- Pay and benefits: Did the employee feel their compensation reflected their responsibilities? Were salary reviews and incentives clear?
- Career growth: Could they see a future within the organisation? Did they have opportunities to learn, take ownership and progress?
- Manager support: Were expectations clear? Did their manager provide useful feedback, listen to concerns and treat them respectfully?
- Workload and working hours: Was the workload manageable? Did frequent urgent tasks, extended hours or insufficient support influence their decision?
- Recognition and workplace relationships: Did they feel their contribution was valued? Could they raise concerns comfortably?
- Role expectations: Did the actual work match what was discussed during recruitment? Did responsibilities change without adequate discussion?
- Personal circumstances: Did relocation, education, caregiving or other priorities affect their ability or desire to continue?
Several factors may contribute to one resignation. Allow employees to explain these connections in their own words.
Create a respectful exit conversation
Invite the employee to a voluntary exit interview during their notice period. Explain that the purpose is to understand their experience and improve the workplace.
Where possible, choose an interviewer who is sufficiently independent of the issues being discussed. If the employee's concern involves their manager, offer another appropriate person to speak with. Give them the option to provide written feedback if that feels more comfortable.
Explain who will see their responses and how the information will be used. Avoid promising complete anonymity in a small team where details could identify the person.
Listen without interrupting or defending each company decision. If clarification is needed, ask for a specific example respectfully. The employee should not have to debate or justify their decision to leave. For how to run the process around the conversation, see exit interviews that produce action.
Ask questions that lead to useful feedback
- 1
What first made you consider leaving?
This finds the starting point, which is often different from the final reason.
- 2
What were the main factors in your final decision?
Let them rank or connect the factors in their own words.
- 3
What did you value most about working here?
It shows what is worth protecting for the people who stay.
- 4
How did the role compare with your expectations when you joined?
Gaps here point to hiring conversations or role changes that were never discussed.
- 5
How would you describe the support you received from your manager?
Offer another interviewer if the employee is uneasy answering this to someone close to the manager.
- 6
Were your workload and working hours manageable?
Listen for urgent work, extended hours and missing support.
- 7
Did you have the learning and growth opportunities you wanted?
Ask what they would have wanted, not only what was missing.
- 8
Were there concerns you raised earlier? How were they handled?
This shows whether concerns reach anyone who can act on them.
- 9
What, if anything, could the organisation realistically have done differently?
Realistic answers are the ones you can act on.
- 10
What should we improve for the next person in this role?
A forward-looking close that leaves the conversation constructive.
Use follow-up questions where necessary, while allowing the employee to skip questions they do not wish to answer.
Turn individual feedback into a pattern review
Record the primary reason for leaving, any contributing factors and a brief factual summary. Separate what the employee said from your interpretation.
Review departures over time by team, role and length of service. Repeated concerns deserve attention, but a small number of exits should prompt further investigation rather than an immediate conclusion about a manager or department. The attrition number that hides the problem explains why a single headline rate is not enough.
Compare exit feedback with current employee conversations, workload information and other relevant evidence. Keep identifiable responses restricted to those who need access, and use summaries for broader reporting.
Give each improvement an owner
An exit interview has limited value if the feedback is simply filed away. For each issue selected for action, agree on:
- The specific change needed.
- The person responsible.
- A completion date.
- How progress will be reviewed.
For example, unclear role expectations could lead to revised job descriptions and structured joining discussions. Workload concerns could prompt a review of staffing, priorities and how urgent work is assigned.
Where appropriate, tell current employees what has changed without revealing a departing employee's private feedback.
Start listening before employees resign
Include regular conversations about what helps employees work well and what makes their job difficult. Ask: "What would make you consider leaving, and what could we improve now?"
These conversations can create opportunities to address concerns while the employee is still part of the team. Follow-through matters: asking for feedback creates an expectation that someone will consider it seriously.
Every resignation deserves a respectful response. Understanding the reasons, checking the wider evidence and acting on issues within the organisation's control gives that conversation a useful purpose.
