Learning from leavers
Exit interviews
When a member of staff leaves the organisation, managers should consider conducting an exit interview. Exit interviews provide an opportunity to gather honest feedback about the employee’s experience and can help identify areas for improvement within the organisation.
Why undertake an exit interview?
Exit interviews can help employers to:
- Understand the reasons why staff choose to leave
- Identify trends or recurring issues that may be affecting staff retention
- Gather feedback on leadership, management, workload, training, and working conditions
- Highlight examples of good practice and areas where staff feel supported
- Inform future workforce planning and staff wellbeing initiatives
- Improve recruitment, induction, supervision, and professional development processes
Exit interviews should be conducted in a professional, confidential and non-judgemental manner. Employees should be encouraged to provide honest feedback and reassured that their comments will be treated sensitively.
Managers should review and evaluate feedback from exit interviews regularly to identify any common themes and act where appropriate. Learning from staff who leave can help strengthen workforce retention, improve staff morale, and support the continuous improvement of the setting.