Guides › HR & Hiring
Learn why people leave from every exit interview
Get a consistent set of exit interview questions, a tidy write-up of each one and a running view of the reasons people give for leaving.
When to use it
Whenever someone hands in their notice
Step by step
Draft a short, fair question set
Ask your AI assistant for a question set you can reuse for every leaver, so answers can be compared over time.
Prompt to copyI'm an HR specialist at a [type of organisation] with about [number] staff. Write a 12-question exit interview I can use for every leaver. Mix rating questions (1 to 5) with open questions. Cover: reasons for leaving, manager relationship, workload, pay and benefits, development, culture and what would have made them stay. Keep the wording neutral and non-leading. Finish with 2 optional questions about whether they'd recommend us as an employer and whether they'd consider returning.Put the questions into a form
Build a Google Form from the questions and link it to a Google Sheet, so every response lands in one row. Leavers can fill it in before or during the conversation.
Write up each interview the same way
After each exit conversation, paste your notes and the form answers into your AI assistant with names and identifying details removed.
Prompt to copyHere are my notes from an exit interview, with names removed: [paste notes and answers]. Write a neutral summary with these headings: Main reasons for leaving, What worked well, What could be better, Anything that may need follow-up (for example a concern about conduct or safety), and Suggested actions for the organisation. Use the leaver's own words where helpful and don't add anything they didn't say.Look for patterns each quarter
Every few months, paste the sheet's open-text columns into your AI assistant and ask for the top themes by team, with a count of how often each one came up. Check the themes against the raw answers before you share them.
What you get
Main reasons: no clear route to promotion; long commute after office move. Worked well: supportive team, good training. Follow-up: none. Suggested action: publish a simple career path for analyst roles.
Tips
- Anything that sounds like a complaint about harassment or discrimination needs your proper process, not just a summary. Flag it to the right person straight away.
- Check your workplace AI policy before pasting staff comments, and strip out names and team details where you can.