Employee exit survey templates and questions

When an employee gives notice, it might feel a bit personal. What could the company have done differently to retain this team member? Why are they leaving in the first place? If they got a new job, what does this new employer have to offer that you don't?

If employee retention is important to success—and of course it is—then it's essential to get answers to these questions. Such knowledge will help to improve operations moving forward and realize a lower turnover rate.

One way to get these answers is with an exit interview questionnaire, which will provide valuable insights. Use SurveyPlanet’s employee exit survey questions and templates to get started today.

Why conducting an employee exit survey is important

Most companies want to avoid a high turnover rate. Every time an employee leaves, the human resources department and management team that has been impacted have to interview and train a new employee, which takes time away from other projects as the new worker gets up to speed.

Not only does employee turnover lead to increased expenses and lower productivity, but it can negatively impact other employees as well. If there's a common denominator causing employees to quit, then your management team better get a handle on it before a downward spiral is unleashed.

Conduct an employee exit survey and gather a valuable feedback

Conducting an exit survey when someone quits helps assemble valuable feedback regarding why they are leaving, what they disliked about their workplace, what they liked, and new policies that might prevent other employees from leaving for similar reasons.

Strong employee retention generally means higher employee satisfaction and company loyalty. This leads to a better work environment and more motivated employees. Every employer sees the advantages of their workers not wanting to work anywhere else.

Although it’s a difficult goal, employee exit questionnaires can make it more of a possibility. The key to an offboarding survey is to ask questions that will garner the most effective feedback that can then be used to improve operations—while also getting information about what you're doing right.

It’s easy to discover how to improve employee positivity with our ready-to-use employee satisfaction survey template.

An employee exit survey is the perfect complement to an exit interview

When someone decides to leave, instruct them to take an employee exit questionnaire before their exit interview. Their answers—and their reasoning for deciding to leave—will help focus the in-person interview and specifics to follow up on during the offboarding conversation. Whether the feedback is good or bad, having more details can help improve the workplace and the experiences of current and future employees.

Tips for conducting an exit interview survey

Asking an employee to take an exit survey before their exit interview is also a great way to get feedback that an offboarding interview might not provide. For some people, it's easier to express their feelings and thoughts in writing than in person. By allowing outgoing employees to elaborate on their opinions about the company and what changes would benefit it, far more in-depth answers are possible than with only an exit interview.

By asking employees to take an anonymous exit survey, ideas about what types of exit interview survey questions to ask all employees during offboarding can be gathered. This process will also help employees feel more comfortable about being candid with their answers because of the anonymity. This incognito feedback can be used to make workplace improvements and institute best practices in the future.

35 exit interview survey question examples for employees

Here are some examples of exit survey questions for employees:

1. What was your primary reason for leaving your current position/organization?
2. How satisfied were you with your overall experience working for this organization?
3. Were your expectations regarding the position and the organization met during your tenure?
4. Did you feel that your skills and abilities were effectively utilized in your role?
5. Were you provided with adequate training and professional development opportunities during your time here?
6. Did you feel valued and recognized for your contributions to the organization?
7. How would you rate the communication within the organization, including from leadership?
8. Were you given opportunities for career growth and advancement within the organization?
9. How would you describe the work-life balance at this organization?
10. Were you satisfied with the compensation and benefits offered by the organization?
11. Did you feel that your workload and responsibilities were reasonable and manageable?
12. How would you rate the overall culture and morale within the organization?
13. Did you feel that there were opportunities for collaboration and teamwork in your role?
14. Were your ideas and suggestions welcomed and taken into consideration by your superiors?
15. Did you feel that there was a clear alignment between the organization's mission and values and your own?
16. How effective was the leadership within the organization in supporting and guiding you?
17. Were there any specific challenges or obstacles that you faced during your time here?
18. What suggestions or recommendations do you have for improving the organization or the working environment?
19. Is there anything specific that the organization could have done differently to encourage you to stay?
20. Would you consider returning to work for this organization in the future if given the opportunity?
21. Which of the following factors influenced you to leave our company?
22. What did you enjoy most about your job?
23. Were you satisfied with your salary?
24. How do our benefits compare to those of your new employer?
25. How often did your supervisors give you recognition for your work?
26. Did you feel valued as an employee?
27. What did you dislike about your job?
28. What could we do differently to retain employees?
29. Did you feel like there were professional advancement opportunities?
30. Would you recommend someone you know to work here?
31. Were you trained effectively to perform your job?
32. How satisfied were you with upper management?
33. Do you have any other suggestions or comments about how we can improve our company?
34. How satisfied were you with your work-life balance?
35. What aspects of your job or the organization did you find most fulfilling or rewarding during your tenure?

These questions can be customized or expanded upon based on the specific context and goals of the exit interview questionnaire.

Expand your survey with relevant work-life balance surveys and leadership and management survey questions.

Create employee exit surveys with SurveyPlanet!

Now that you have an employee exit survey example and templates to work with, it’s time to create a survey using software like SurveyPlanet which provides access to dozens of templates, beautiful themes, and everything needed to create an effective exit survey. Develop specific questions or use our employee exit survey templates to save time.

Sign up for a free SurveyPlanet account so you can start gaining insight and prevent turnover in the future.