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Offboarding interview - A guide for the exit interview

The departure of an employee is an unpleasant occasion. At the same time, the situation offers something positive: the opportunity for an exit interview. Such an interview at the end of the offboarding process gives you the chance to receive valuable feedback from your employees. With the right questions, you can identify problems and avoid mistakes in the future. This will increase satisfaction in the company in the long term and reduce staff turnover. This guide shows you how to design a structured offboarding interview.

What is an offboarding interview? And why you shouldn't do without it.

If there is a separation between the employee and the company, for example in the event of dismissal, a structured offboarding process follows to support the employee during their exit. An offboarding meeting (often also known as an offboarding interview or exit interview) should be an integral part of this process. This is particularly recommended if the termination was not carried out by the company.

Goals and advantages of an offboarding meeting

The exit interview gives the company the opportunity to say goodbye to employees in person and show its appreciation for the work they have done. It can also be used to achieve other objectives, including

  • Find out the reasons for termination
  • Identify optimization opportunities for company processes
  • Identify opportunities for improvement in terms of company culture
  • Avoid negative employee reviews
  • Offer the option of returning at a later date

The bottom line is that all of these points contribute to time and cost savings for the company, for example through

  • increased employer branding and the resulting advantages in hiring
  • Increased employee loyalty and consequently lower staff turnover
  • Process optimization and resulting time savings, e.g. during onboarding and offboarding
  • Secure income for the company by always having enough staff to cover the order situation

Conduct an offboarding interview online?

In times of hybrid work, it is no longer unusual for a certain proportion of employees to work exclusively remotely. If such an employee is made redundant, the offboarding meeting will usually also have to take place online. Thanks to modern communication solutions such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, this is now possible without any problems.

The disadvantage: Not being in the same room can have an impact on the atmosphere of the conversation. The advantage: People often give feedback more easily, especially negative feedback, when they are not in the same room. 

Another advantage can be that the conversation can be recorded for later evaluation. This allows you to focus entirely on the conversation without being distracted. In this case, however, make sure you get the go-ahead for the recording from everyone involved beforehand.

Checklist for structured offboarding

With our checklist, you won't forget any more important tasks and will make a positive last impression on your employees. Practical: The checklist is also available as a free PDF download.

Offboarding discussion - do's and don'ts

To ensure that the offboarding interview is successful, there are a few points you should bear in mind.

Voluntariness: Inform the employee that you are interested in an offboarding meeting. This gives your counterpart the opportunity to mentally prepare for the meeting and, if necessary, to think about which points should be addressed. Also clarify whether the colleagues concerned are willing to have such a conversation. In order to receive useful feedback, the employee should attend the meeting with a good feeling. Make it clear that the company is interested in their opinion.

If a face-to-face conversation is not an option, a survey could be a possible alternative. Some people find it easier to communicate their thoughts in writing and perceive conversations as an interrogation situation.

Structure: In principle, the interview should take place in a relaxed atmosphere and not seem forced. Nevertheless, it makes sense to conduct the interview using a structured guideline or questionnaire. If the situation allows, you can go into individual questions or points in detail during the interview.

Neutrality: Limit yourself to noting down your counterpart's answers and not evaluating them. Personal views or even accusations can quickly have a negative impact on the atmosphere of the conversation and prevent you from receiving honest answers.

Content: The exit interview should focus on receiving feedback. It is not the place for handover discussions or to clarify other formalities. So keep other topics out of it.

Who should attend the offboarding meeting?

During the development of the offboarding concept, consider which people should take part in exit interviews and under what circumstances. In principle, the following applies here: The fewer participants, the better. A large number of people can quickly have an intimidating effect.

In addition to the employee themselves, a representative of the HR department usually attends the interview. It may also be useful to invite a person of trust to the interview
Consider whether superiors should also be part of the interview round. Bear in mind that the offboarding interview is exclusively about general topics relating to the company. Specialist final discussions are held elsewhere.

As a general rule, make sure that no one who has a strained relationship with the employee takes part in the meeting. The aim should be to create a harmonious and trusting atmosphere in which people can openly communicate their own views.

Example: Questionnaire for the offboarding interview

Below we have put together a series of questions for you that can be asked during the offboarding interview.

Termination

  • What is the reason for the termination?
  • Why did you choose us to begin with?
  • To what extent did your work differ from what was discussed in the interview? Was this part of your decision?
  • What would have had to change for you to stay?

Professional work

  • Did you have the equipment you needed to do your job well?
  • Did you get the help you need to do your job well?
  • What should we look out for in new appointments?

Career

  • Did you feel sufficiently challenged and supported?
  • Were you happy with the salary?
  • Have you seen development opportunities for your career with us?

Processes

  • How did you find the onboarding process?
  • How did you feel about offboarding?

Corporate culture

  • How would you describe the corporate culture?
  • How was your relationship with colleagues and superiors?
  • How did you feel about the atmosphere in the team?
  • Would you recommend the company as an employer? What was positive, what was negative?
  • What tips would you give us for increasing employee retention?
  • Were you satisfied with the managers?
  • What improvements do you hope to see from your new employer?
As you can see from the different questions, the offboarding interview does not have to be limited to the (reasons for) termination. Rather, you should take the opportunity to find out as much as possible about general topics.
It may also make sense to use different questionnaires for different scenarios. For example, questions for people from management may differ from questions for "ordinary" employees. Use the same questionnaire for every interview (with the same group of people). This gives you the opportunity to systematically evaluate results and analyze progress. If you repeatedly receive similar answers to individual questions, there appears to be a need for action in the relevant area.
Fluctuation cannot be avoided, but it can be reduced. So use the opportunity of an offboarding meeting to get as much feedback about your company as possible and thus reduce staff turnover in the long term.