Exit interviews often feel like a box-ticking exercise, but when done well, they can offer a goldmine of insight into what’s working, what’s not, and how to improve the employee experience for your remaining team.
So how do you transform an exit interview into something truly valuable? Here’s how NZ business leaders can approach offboarding with purpose, and a clear plan.
Why Exit Interviews Matter More Than You Think
When someone resigns, they’re often more candid, and that candour, when handled properly, can help shape better policies, culture, and leadership. An effective exit interview:
- Provides honest feedback on leadership, culture, processes, and workload
- Identifies patterns in turnover that may signal broader issues
- Offers closure for both parties, maintaining goodwill and brand reputation
- Gives the employee a chance to feel heard and valued, even as they leave
The key? Creating a psychologically safe space where honesty is welcomed, not penalised.
When and How to Hold Exit Interviews
Timing matters. Aim to conduct the interview in the employee’s final week, once the resignation is settled and handover underway. Offer flexibility in format: in-person, virtual, or even written survey (ideally a combo of both).
Where possible, avoid using the employee’s direct manager. A senior leader or internal HR can work, but many businesses find the best insights come from an impartial, external facilitator. Partnering with someone outside the business (like The People Project) can create a safer, more neutral environment for honest feedback. It also removes potential bias, ensures consistency across interviews, and allows you to turn feedback into practical, themed insights where actions can arise from, not just a one-off conversation.
Give the employee a heads-up about:
- The purpose of the interview (it’s an opportunity for reflection and feedback)
- Who will be present
- How the information will be used and protected
Reading Between the Lines
Not all feedback will be explicit. Employees might soften their words, especially if they’re worried about burning bridges. That’s why it’s important to read tone and probe gently. When multiple people reference “communication issues” or “unclear direction,” or similar, it may be a sign of something deeper.
This is another reason to consider outsourcing the process. Our HR Consultants are skilled at teasing out nuances like this, so that we can understand beyond a surface level what the employee experience really is, and offer guidance on ways to improve it.
Using the Insights (Not Just Filing Them)
The worst outcome? Collecting great feedback and doing nothing with it.
Instead:
- Look for themes across multiple exit interviews
- Adjust HR policies, onboarding or performance processes if needed
- Share general (anonymous) insights with your leadership team
- Track turnover trends to support retention planning
- Close the loop with your people: show them how feedback is helping shape change
If insights are pointing to deeper team challenges, our Leadership Coaching Services can help address root causes, especially if this is with your managers, we offer best in class leadership training from the basics to more advanced level coaching.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
Exit interviews should always be:
- Voluntary, employees can opt out or skip questions
- Confidential, personal feedback must be protected (ask directly what the employee would like shared or, not).
- Constructive, handled with empathy, not defensiveness
If issues like bullying or discrimination are raised, you may need to escalate them through your formal complaints or investigation process. Speak to our team about how to manage high-risk feedback well. We can also support with conflict resolution, and employment grievances.
Build a Feedback Culture That Starts Before the Goodbye
If you’re only hearing the truth on the way out the door, that’s too late. Create continuous feedback loops through:
- Regular check ins
- Culture Health Checks
- Engagement Surveys
These proactive tools help you spot (and fix) problems before good people leave.
Make Goodbyes Count
Exit interviews shouldn’t be forgotten, how you offboard your staff is just as important as how you onboard them. Exit interviews are a key part to this, and it shows that you value you people and their views, opinions and feedback.
Need help making that happen? Whether you want to build a repeatable process or have us run the interviews for you, The People Project has your back.