Exit Feedback Question Bank
Use this question bank to build an exit survey, exit interview guide or combined process. Select questions based on the purpose, role group and time available. Do not overload the departing employee.
The recommended emphasis is qualitative. Use open-ended questions to understand the employee’s experience, the factors that influenced leaving and the improvements that may help retain future employees.
| Section | Question Type | Question | EOF Alignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening | Open question | What prompted you to begin thinking about leaving? | Intent / Experience |
| Reasons for leaving | Open question | What were the main reasons for your decision to leave? | Intent / Retention |
| Reasons for leaving | Open question | Was there a specific turning point, event or pattern that influenced your decision? | Experience |
| Role and work design | Open question | How accurately was the role described to you before you joined or accepted the role? | Roles & Clarity |
| Role and work design | Open question | What were your favourite and least favourite aspects of the role? | Roles & Clarity / Experience |
| Role and work design | Open question | How reasonable was the workload for this role? | Resourcing & Capacity |
| Role and work design | Open question | Given the role’s responsibilities today, what should we look for in a replacement? | Roles & Clarity / Workforce Planning |
| Manager and leadership | Open question | What support from your manager helped you perform well? | Values-Based Leadership / Performance & Feedback |
| Manager and leadership | Open question | What, if any, challenges were present when working with your manager? | Values-Based Leadership |
| Manager and leadership | Open question | How could we have supported you to continue in your role? | Intent / Performance & Feedback |
| Team and culture | Open question | How would you describe the atmosphere within your work group? | Collaboration & Connection |
| Team and culture | Open question | Who made a real difference to your employee experience, if anyone? | Recognition & Reward / Collaboration & Connection |
| Development | Open question | How well were your skills and capabilities used? | Development & Pathways |
| Development | Open question | How could training, development or career support be improved? | Development & Pathways |
| Reward and employment deal | Open question | How fair did you feel your remuneration and benefits were compared with other opportunities? | Pay, Benefits & Flexibility |
| Work environment | Open question | How well did the physical or digital work environment enable you to perform effectively? | Tools & Equipment / Health & Safety |
| Safety and respect | Open question | How safe, respected and included did you feel at work? | Health & Safety / Wellbeing & Psychological Safety |
| Organisation and culture | Open question | Where does Council perform really well as an employer? | Experience / Pride |
| Organisation and culture | Open question | What would make Council a stronger place to work? | Improvement action |
| External comparison | Open question | What does your next opportunity offer that was difficult to access here? | Retention / Workforce Planning |
| Closing | Open question | Is there anything else you would like senior leaders or People and Culture to understand? | Experience |
CSV resource: Resources/CSV/exit-feedback-question-bank.csv