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Exit Interview Debrief

Every exit is a learning opportunity—if you know how to capture it. This playbook helps you gather, analyze, and act on feedback from departing employees using AI summarization, pattern spotting, and structured debrief workflows that tie directly into retention strategy.

Overview​

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Goal: Turn exit data into actionable insights to improve retention and culture.

  • 💡 Key Insight: 70% of exit feedback contains clues about systemic issues—but only 30% of orgs act on it.
  • 📊 Metric to Watch: % of themes addressed from exit interviews and voluntary turnover rate over time.
📝 Step 1: Design a Consistent Exit Survey

  • Include both:

    • Scaled answers (1–5) on key areas: manager support, role clarity, growth, culture
    • Open-ended questions:
      • “What made you start looking?”
      • “What would’ve made you stay?”

  • Use Google Forms, Typeform, or HRIS exit tools.

  • Allow optional anonymity to boost honesty.

🤖 Step 2: Use AI to Summarize Open-Text Feedback
  • Paste responses into this AI prompt:
You’re an HR analyst summarizing exit interview feedback.

Input:  
- Raw responses from 5+ exit interviews

Output:
- Top 3 recurring themes
- Notable quotes (anonymous)
- Suggested actions or next steps
  • Use ChatGPT or Claude for batch summarization and tone detection.
🗂️ Step 3: Build a Monthly Debrief Routine

  • Host monthly or quarterly HR debriefs:

    • Share themes, data points, and anonymized quotes
    • Assign team leads to own key follow-ups

  • Track:

    • % of interviews completed
    • % with themes analyzed
    • Time to implement changes
🔄 Step 4: Close the Feedback Loop

  • Communicate changes based on exit data:

    • “We heard your feedback on internal promotions—we’re piloting a new growth track model.”

  • Even if the employee is gone, transparency builds internal trust.

  • Share “You Said, We Did” updates in all-hands or internal newsletters.

📈 Step 5: Connect to Retention Strategy

  • Compare exit themes with:

    • Stay interview data
    • Engagement survey results
    • Turnover by manager or team

  • Use this prompt to find root causes:

Input: Themes from exit interviews, recent engagement results, and team turnover data.

Output:
- Top 2 suspected root causes
- High-priority changes that would impact future retention
- Departments or managers that may need extra support

AI Prompt Library​

tip

Use this prompt to rewrite a vague exit theme into a presentation-ready insight:

Original: “A lot of people mentioned burnout.”

Prompt: Reframe this as a leadership insight with data-backed urgency and suggest 1 actionable step.

Example Output:
"Multiple exit interviews in Q1 flagged unsustainable workloads, especially in Sales. We recommend a workload audit and piloting async meeting blocks to reduce burnout risk."

Fill-in-the-Blank Theme Tracker​

Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]  
Team: [e.g., Marketing]  
# of Interviews: [X]  
Themes Identified:
- [Theme 1]
- [Theme 2]
- [Theme 3]

Next Steps:
- Owner: [Name]
- Action Item: [Change or initiative]
- Due Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]

Wrap-Up​

Exit interviews don’t have to gather dust. With the right prompts and follow-through, they can become one of your most valuable listening tools—fueling long-term retention, culture improvement, and trust-building.

Pro Tip: Compare exit themes every quarter—consistency in issues signals high ROI for solving them.