Why software employees leave and how to understand why

When someone leaves a software company, the organisation loses more than a seat. It loses what that person knew about the systems, the clients and the way the team works. Understanding why they went is the first step to keeping the next person.

The purpose of an exit conversation is to learn from their experience, respect their decision and see 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

"Better offer." "Higher package." "Looking for a change." These may be accurate, but they rarely explain the whole decision. A better offer could mean a stronger technology stack, a bigger scope, a path to a senior or lead role, a different working pattern or a team led by someone the person respects.

Start with a simple question: "What made you start looking?"

Then ask what made them decide. This separates the circumstances that started the search from the offer that eventually attracted them. In software, the search often begins months before the resignation, and a counter-offer at the last moment rarely addresses the original cause.

Avoid assuming that every resignation reflects a fault in the company. Further studies, relocation, family responsibilities and a move to a different kind of work are also real reasons.

Use these as prompts rather than assuming any one of them caused the resignation.

• Technical growth: Was the person learning, or repeating the same work on the same system? Could they move into new areas, take design ownership or work with newer tools?
• Career path: Was the route to senior, lead or architect clear? Could someone who did not want to manage people still progress?
• Manager quality: Were expectations and priorities clear? Did the manager give useful feedback, protect the team from constant changes of direction and listen to concerns?
• Project and client pressure: Did shifting scope, tight release dates or demanding client calls become the normal way of working?
• On-call and extended hours: Was support cover shared fairly? Were late nights and weekend releases occasional or routine?
• Remote, hybrid or office expectations: Did the working arrangement match what was discussed at hiring, and was it applied consistently across teams?
• Pay and progression: Did people at the same level in similar roles feel their pay was fair? Were reviews and increments explained?
• Personal circumstances: Did relocation, further study or family needs play a part?

Several factors usually combine. Let the person explain how they connect, in their own words.

Invite the employee to a voluntary exit conversation during their notice period. Explain that the purpose is to understand their experience and improve the workplace.

Choose an interviewer outside the reporting line, such as an HR representative or a senior leader from another team. If the concern involves the manager or the delivery head, say so openly and offer a different person. Written feedback should always be an option.

In a team of eight or ten engineers, details can identify the author. Do not promise complete anonymity. Explain who will see the responses and how they will be used.

Listen without defending decisions or debating the person's choice. Notice-period time is also needed for handover of systems and client contacts, so keep the conversation separate from delivery pressure and schedule it deliberately. For how to run the process around the conversation, see exit interviews that produce action.

1. 1

   What first made you start looking?

   This finds the starting point, which is often different from the offer that was finally accepted.

2. 2

   What were the main factors in your decision?

   Let them rank or connect the factors rather than offering a list to tick.

3. 3

   What did you enjoy most about the work and the team?

   It shows what is worth protecting for the engineers who stay.

4. 4

   How did the role compare with what you expected when you joined?

   Gaps point to hiring conversations or project changes that were never discussed.

5. 5

   How would you describe the technical growth you had here?

   Ask what they would have wanted to work on, not only what was missing.

6. 6

   Was the path to the next level clear to you?

   Listen for whether levels, expectations and pay for each level were explained.

7. 7

   How did releases, deadlines and on-call work affect you?

   Listen for routine extended hours, last-minute scope changes and uneven cover.

8. 8

   How did the working arrangement, remote, hybrid or office, suit you?

   Check whether it was applied the same way across teams.

9. 9

   Were there concerns you raised earlier? How were they handled?

   This shows whether concerns reach anyone who can act on them.

10. 10

    What should we improve for the next person in this role?

    A forward-looking close that keeps the conversation constructive.

Allow the employee to skip any question they do not wish to answer, and use follow-up questions only where they help.

Record the main reason for leaving, any contributing factors and a short factual summary. Keep what the employee said separate from your interpretation.

Review departures over time by team, level, project and length of service. Look at where people leave in the first year, where they leave after a major release or appraisal cycle, and which managers' teams lose people more often. A small number of exits should prompt further questions, not an instant conclusion about a manager or a project. The attrition number that hides the problem explains why one headline rate is not enough.

Compare exit feedback with current employee conversations, workload information and other evidence. Keep identifiable responses restricted to those who need them, and use summaries for wider reporting.

An exit conversation has little value if the feedback is filed away. For each issue chosen for action, agree on:

• The specific change needed.
• The person responsible.
• A completion date.
• How progress will be reviewed.

For example, unclear levels could lead to a written ladder with expectations for each level, owned by the head of engineering with HR. Heavy on-call load could lead to a shared rota and a review of release timing, owned by the delivery lead. Where appropriate, tell current employees what has changed without revealing a departing employee's private feedback.

Hold regular conversations about what helps people do good work and what gets in the way. Ask: "What would make you consider leaving, and what could we improve now?"

Good moments to ask are after a major release, at the end of an appraisal cycle, when a project changes and when someone has been on the same system for a long time. Follow-through matters: asking for feedback creates an expectation that someone will act on it.

Every resignation deserves a respectful response. The same approach, applied to all roles, is set out in why employees leave and how to understand their reasons.