What are 5 typical questions asked during an exit interview?

Common questions are: 1) What prompted you to start looking for a new role? 2) Was the job what you expected, and was your workload manageable? 3) How would you describe your manager and the workplace culture? 4) Did you feel you had the training, tools and opportunities to grow? 5) Would you recommend us as a place to work, and would you ever return? Group your questions into themes — departure, role, management and culture, and pay and growth — as set out in the section above. For more, read our guide on how to conduct an exit interview.

How do I write an exit interview form?

Start with employee details (name, role, department, start and finish dates), then add a section for the reason for leaving. Follow with grouped rating-and-comment questions covering job satisfaction, management and culture, training and resources, and pay and benefits. Finish with open prompts on what worked well and what to improve. This free PDF template already includes all of those sections — download it, add your logo and adjust the fields to suit your workplace.

What is an example of an exit interview letter?

An exit interview letter is a short, friendly invitation sent during the notice period. It thanks the employee for their time, explains that their feedback is voluntary and confidential, and invites them to a meeting or to complete this form. Keep the tone warm and reassure them that their honesty won’t affect their reference or final pay. Pair it with a termination letter only where the departure is involuntary.

What should the form not be used for?

This form gathers feedback — it is not a legal record of the termination itself. For the formal end of employment, notice and final pay, use the correct process and documentation. See our guide on how to terminate an employee and the glossary entry on termination of employment for what each step requires.

Is it mandatory to fill in an exit interview form?

No. Exit interviews are voluntary for the departing employee. Encourage participation by explaining how feedback is used to improve the workplace, and offer a written option for anyone who prefers not to meet face to face. Some people are most candid when they complete the form after their last day.

Should HR or the direct manager run the exit interview?

Ideally a neutral party — HR or a senior manager from another team — conducts it. Employees are usually more candid when they are not speaking directly to their supervisor, which produces more honest feedback about management and culture. RosterElf’s offboarding tools help you run this consistently as part of HR software.

How long should I keep completed forms on file?

Keep employment records for at least 7 years in line with Fair Work requirements. Store completed forms securely, aggregate the insights, and keep individual responses confidential. Digitising paper forms with digital offboarding makes records easier to retain and analyse.

How should exit interview feedback be used?

Aggregate feedback over time to spot patterns in why people leave — recurring themes about a manager, workload, pay or career development point to issues worth fixing. Use the insights to improve retention while keeping individual responses confidential. Catching problems earlier through a performance review process can reduce avoidable departures.

FREE TEMPLATE Last updated 27 June 2026

Free exit interview form template

A structured exit interview form for gathering honest feedback from departing employees. Understand why people leave, spot retention trends and strengthen your workplace culture — print it or fill it in digitally.

Exit interview form

PDF format • Ready to print

Structured questions for comprehensive feedback

Identifies retention issues and improvement areas

Covers role, management, culture and pay

Optional confidential format for honest answers

No signup required. Print or fill in digitally.

This exit interview form is a general HR template and is not legal advice. Customise it to your workplace and the relevant awards and legislation, and confirm your record-keeping and employment obligations with Fair Work. It does not constitute legal, HR, or professional advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.

References HR Hub disclaimer Modern Awards Fair Work

What's in this form

Structured sections for meaningful feedback

Employee details

Name, position, department, start date and last working day for the record.

Reason for leaving

Primary reason — new job, relocation, career change, retirement or pay.

Job satisfaction

Rating of overall satisfaction with the role and day-to-day responsibilities.

Management and culture

Feedback on leadership, communication, team dynamics and workplace culture.

Training and resources

Whether the employee felt equipped, supported and developed in the role.

What worked and what to improve

Balanced prompts on what to keep, plus constructive suggestions for change.

How the form is laid out

The form moves from factual details through to open feedback, so the conversation flows naturally and you capture consistent answers from everyone who leaves. Each section pairs a quick rating with space for comments.

Section	Rating	Comments
Reason for leaving	—	New role, closer to home, better pay…
Job satisfaction	1–5	What you enjoyed; what frustrated you
Management and culture	1–5	Support, communication, team dynamics

How the exit interview process works

Four steps from notice to action

1. Schedule it

Arrange the interview during the notice period — ideally a few days before the last day, while the employee is still engaged.

2. Set the tone

Explain that feedback is confidential, won’t affect their reference or final pay, and is used to improve the workplace.

3. Work through the form

Ask the questions, listen without becoming defensive, and capture answers in the structured fields.

4. Act on the insights

Aggregate responses over time, look for patterns, and share anonymised themes with leadership to lift retention.

Running this digitally keeps responses in one place — see how RosterElf handles employee offboarding as part of your HR software.

What questions to ask in an exit interview

Group your questions into four clear themes

1. Departure and new role

What prompted the job search, what the new role offers, whether there was a breaking point, and whether they would return.

2. Role and responsibilities

Was the job as expected, was the workload reasonable, were the right tools and training provided, and how the role changed over time.

3. Management and culture

Honest views on their manager and leadership, team relationships, and whether the workplace culture matched what was promised.

4. Pay, growth and recommendation

Fairness of pay and benefits, opportunities to progress, and whether they would recommend the business as a place to work.

Who uses this form

Useful for any business with employees

Hospitality and retail

High-turnover venues spotting why frontline staff move on

Healthcare and aged care

Understand departures and protect continuity of care

Growing teams

Catch culture and management issues before they spread

Whatever the reason for leaving, document the formal side correctly too — see our guide on how to terminate an employee and the glossary entry on termination of employment.

Turn exit feedback into better retention

A paper form captures one departure at a time. RosterElf's HR software runs offboarding digitally — collecting feedback, keeping secure records and surfacing the turnover trends across your team so you can act before more people leave.

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HR guides

Run a fair process and keep your best people

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Use this form alongside these related templates

FAQ

Exit interview form FAQ

Common questions are: 1) What prompted you to start looking for a new role? 2) Was the job what you expected, and was your workload manageable? 3) How would you describe your manager and the workplace culture? 4) Did you feel you had the training, tools and opportunities to grow? 5) Would you recommend us as a place to work, and would you ever return? Group your questions into themes — departure, role, management and culture, and pay and growth — as set out in the section above. For more, read our guide on how to conduct an exit interview.
Start with employee details (name, role, department, start and finish dates), then add a section for the reason for leaving. Follow with grouped rating-and-comment questions covering job satisfaction, management and culture, training and resources, and pay and benefits. Finish with open prompts on what worked well and what to improve. This free PDF template already includes all of those sections — download it, add your logo and adjust the fields to suit your workplace.
An exit interview letter is a short, friendly invitation sent during the notice period. It thanks the employee for their time, explains that their feedback is voluntary and confidential, and invites them to a meeting or to complete this form. Keep the tone warm and reassure them that their honesty won’t affect their reference or final pay. Pair it with a termination letter only where the departure is involuntary.
This form gathers feedback — it is not a legal record of the termination itself. For the formal end of employment, notice and final pay, use the correct process and documentation. See our guide on how to terminate an employee and the glossary entry on termination of employment for what each step requires.

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