When an employee leaves your company—whether by choice or due to organizational changes—conducting a structured exit interview is a vital step in understanding why. Exit interviews offer powerful insights into workplace culture, leadership effectiveness, team dynamics, and retention challenges.
To streamline the process, we’ve curated 35+ free exit interview templates available in Word and PDF formats. These customizable tools are ideal for HR professionals, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and enterprises alike.
✔️ What Is an Exit Interview?
An exit interview is a formal conversation or document-based process conducted when an employee departs from an organization. Its main purpose is to:
- Gather honest feedback on the employee’s experience
- Identify patterns in turnover
- Uncover potential workplace issues
- Improve leadership, culture, and communication
- Strengthen retention and hiring strategies
Exit interviews are usually performed by HR staff during an employee’s final days or immediately after departure.
✔️ Why Use a Template for Exit Interviews?
✅ Saves time with structured, ready-to-use formats
✅ Ensures consistency across departments and interviews
✅ Provides clear, actionable feedback
✅ Encourages honest and constructive responses
✅ Builds a more data-driven HR process
These templates reduce the guesswork and help you ask the right questions every time—making them invaluable for organizations of all sizes.
✔️ What’s Inside the 35+ Free Template Collection?
This collection includes a diverse set of interview forms tailored for various industries, employment levels, and interview styles:
📝 Word Templates:
- Traditional exit interview forms with open-ended questions
- Employee feedback questionnaires
- Checklist-style interview guides
- Manager exit feedback templates
- Templates with employee signature sections
📄 PDF Templates:
- Printable forms with tick boxes and rating scales
- HR-compliant interview documents
- Anonymous feedback forms
- Final checklist forms for offboarding
Each template is fully editable or printable and ready to use for digital or face-to-face interviews.
✔️ Key Sections Typically Included
- Employee Information (name, role, department, tenure)
- Reason for Leaving (voluntary, involuntary, other)
- Work Environment Feedback
- Supervisor and Leadership Evaluation
- Team Communication and Morale
- Compensation and Benefits Perception
- Career Growth Opportunities
- Suggestions for Improvement
- Final Comments and Recommendations
- Employee Acknowledgment and Signature
Having a mix of rating scales and open-ended questions offers both quantitative and qualitative insights.
✔️ When and How to Use These Templates
☑️ During the final week of employment (ideal timing)
☑️ In-person, over the phone, or via email
☑️ As part of your offboarding checklist
☑️ To develop quarterly HR reports on employee satisfaction and turnover trends
☑️ In organizations with high turnover, mergers, or department changes
These templates can be stored digitally or printed for paper-based documentation.
✔️ Best Practices for Exit Interviews
✅ Keep the tone professional, neutral, and confidential
✅ Assure the employee their responses won’t affect references
✅ Focus on learning—not blaming
✅ Analyze trends quarterly to improve retention
✅ Use the insights to train managers and adjust internal policies
✅ Follow up if necessary for clarification
Remember: the goal is to learn and improve, not just to document.
➡️ Download Now and Improve Retention
Use these 35+ free exit interview templates in Word and PDF to gather meaningful feedback and turn every departure into an opportunity for growth.
👉 Download now to uncover the truth behind employee turnover—and build a stronger, more responsive organization.
Listen. Learn. Lead better.
