When an employee has decided to part ways with your company, they are simultaneously opening a window of opportunity for you, as the employer, to gain valuable insight into why they have decided to move on, what went wrong (if anything), and what can be done in the workplace to improve retention and company culture.
An exit interview (also known as termination or separation interview) is simply an interview conducted with an employee who is leaving a company.
The purpose of this interview is to learn. In other words, to gain insight into how you can go about reducing unwanted turnover by leveraging the information provided by the employee, while showing that you value their insight and intend on taking action to make improvements wherever necessary.
When is the best time to conduct one?
There is some debate around when is the best time to conduct an exit interview.
Many companies choose to conduct them as a routine part of the off-boarding process during an employee’s last week on the job. Some employers do them several weeks or even months after the individual leaves, either by phone or online survey.
The most important point to consider regarding timing is how heated the departure was in terms of emotions and conflict with other members of the organization. If the exit was, shall we say, rough, then it might be a good idea to conduct the interview a few weeks after the employee has left, so the dust has settled and they can provide their feedback with a calm perspective.
If it was a smooth departure, then conducting the interview during the employee’s final week is suitable.