Exit Interview definition

A formal or informal interview conducted with an outgoing staff member in order to promote goodwill and ascertain why the employee is leaving.

Exit interviews also have a practical aspect – to tie up loose ends, such as the employee returning all loaned equipment and company property, and to ensure that all post-exit administrative tasks on both sides are understood.

Arrangements of the future, such as ways to continue the relationship (through, for example, freelancing), may also be discussed during an exit interview.

For uncomplicated, mostly administrative cases, the exit interview may be conducted by an HR assistant while more complex cases, or those conducted with senior leaders, will typically involve the HR manager and perhaps another representative.

Exit interviews are normally used when an employee has voluntary left the company or has been made redundant but may also be used when the employee has been forced to leave on disciplinary grounds. In these cases the employee is more likely to have a representative sitting in, such as a colleague or trade union member.