Run an exit interview that produces useful, respectful feedback

Use this guide to learn from a departure while the handover and final-pay checks are handled separately. It does not set notice requirements, calculate final pay or determine how a complaint should be investigated. Business.gov.au identifies exit interviews as a way to learn about working conditions, relationships and recruitment or training. End employment: exit interviews.

Offer a choice about taking part

Invite the person while they still have time to consider it. Explain that this feedback conversation is optional and they can leave questions unanswered. Offer a short conversation or written comments, and consider a suitable alternative interviewer if speaking directly to you would be uncomfortable.

An original invitation you can adapt: “If you’d like to, I’d value a short conversation about what worked well here and what we could improve. You can skip any question or decline. Before we begin, I’ll explain who can see the notes and how we’ll use them.”

Choose a private setting and leave room to finish early. Do not turn the discussion into a debate about whether the person should have stayed.

Ask about work they can describe

Start with a concrete question: “Was there a task that was harder than it needed to be?” Follow with “What would have helped?” That often gives you something more useful to investigate than a score for overall happiness.

Prompt or record	How to use it
Participation and notes	Explain the voluntary format, intended readers and confidentiality limits before starting.
Work organisation	Which task or instruction caused avoidable difficulty? Ask for an example if the person wants to give one.
Support and learning	What helped you learn? What did you have to work out alone?
Optional departure question	Is there anything about your decision to leave that you would like us to understand?
Fictional theme to action	Handover instructions lacked current deadlines. Owner trials a shared open-job list and reviews it with the team.
Team update	Explain the new handover process without naming the departing person or retelling their account.

Original ASBG worksheet using fictional records. The labelled rows provide the text equivalent. Keep the assumptions and sources with a printed copy.

You can also ask what should stay the same. A change suggested by one person may solve their problem but create another one, so check the work before adopting it. Keep observations and your interpretation in separate fields.

Explain the limits of confidentiality

Tell the employee who will receive the interview notes and why. Avoid promising that nobody could identify the speaker: in a small team, the role, date or circumstances may reveal them even after the name is removed. Keep the original notes restricted and record only what is needed for the purpose.

The OAIC’s Employee records exemption has a defined scope. For uncertain retention, disclosure or access questions, get advice about your circumstances rather than treating this template as a privacy policy. The privacy guide covers the broader checks.

If someone raises a serious allegation, acknowledge it and explain that it needs an appropriate response beyond this optional interview. Do not ask them to repeat the account in a team meeting. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s Internal complaint processes describes the need for appropriate expertise in sensitive complaints. Explain any necessary next steps without promising either secrecy or a predetermined result.

Look for evidence before calling something a pattern

One exit interview is one account. If two people describe missing handover information, check the instructions and current staff experience before announcing a general conclusion. Record how many accounts support a theme in your restricted notes, but avoid publishing small counts that identify people.

For each practical change, name an owner and a review point. The fictional handover issue above could lead to a trial of the role handover board. A learning issue could lead you to improve the new employee learning plan.

Tell the team what changed

Report the work improvement: “Open jobs now have a named owner and next deadline.” Leave out private reasons for departure and verbatim comments that could identify the person. Ask current staff whether the new arrangement helps, then adjust it if needed.

Use the managing a small team hub to choose the next task. Save the interview notes and the general action log separately so you can discuss an improvement without circulating the private conversation.

Key takeaways

• Make this feedback interview voluntary and allow skipped questions.
• Explain who will see notes without promising anonymity.
• Check the evidence, act on a specific issue and share the improvement carefully.

OPTIONAL EXIT INTERVIEW
Participation agreed / preferred format / interviewer:
Who will see the notes and why:
What made the work easier or harder?
Where did instructions or support fall short?
What helped you learn the role?
What would you change for the next person?
Anything about leaving you choose to share? (optional)
Employee corrections or questions:
Separate serious-concern follow-up, if needed:
Restricted theme / proposed action / owner / review date:
Team update checked for identifying details:

Sources checked 24 September 2026. Check the assumptions before using these notes.
End employment: exit interviews: https://business.gov.au/people/employees/end-employment#exit-interview
Employee records exemption: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-guidance-for-organisations-and-government-agencies/organisations/employee-records-exemption
Internal complaint processes: https://humanrights.gov.au/complaints/complaints-forms-and-guides/information-people-making-complaints/good-practice-guidelines-for-internal-complaint-processes

Where to get help

• End employment: exit interviews
• Employee records exemption
• Internal complaint processes