35 Best Exit Interview Questions for Irish Employers

Exit interviews are a powerful (and often underused) tool for gathering real feedback from employees who are moving on. Handled correctly, they can provide valuable insight into your team’s morale, leadership, workload, and culture—helping you refine how your business operates and why people stay (or leave).

At PurpleTree, we support Irish SMEs with tailored HR practices that go beyond checklists and policies. Whether you’re dealing with high turnover or simply want to improve your employee experience, here are 35 practical and effective exit interview questions—organised by topic—to guide better conversations.

What Is an Exit Interview?

An exit interview is a structured discussion with an employee who’s about to leave your organisation. The purpose is to understand their reasons for leaving, gather constructive feedback on their experience, and identify opportunities to improve your workplace, management, or policies.

Unlike pulse surveys or appraisals, exit interviews often reveal more candid insights—because the employee no longer feels constrained by the need to protect relationships or job security. Our advisors, including Seán, regularly support businesses in running these conversations effectively and professionally.

What Makes a Good Exit Interview Question?

The best exit interview questions are open-ended, non-judgemental, and focused on the employee’s experience. They invite reflection rather than defensiveness. Avoid leading questions or anything that might sound like blame. You want honesty—not just politeness.

Now let’s explore the questions themselves, broken down by focus area.

Reasons for Leaving

Understanding why employees are moving on is key to improving retention.

• What prompted you to start looking for another role?
  
• How long had you been thinking about leaving?
  
• Did you raise any concerns before deciding to go?
  
• Is there anything we could have done to change your mind?
  
• What are you most excited about in your new role?
  

Roles & Responsibilities

Insight into the role itself helps you improve job descriptions, workloads, and future hiring.

• What parts of your role did you enjoy most—and least?
  
• Were your responsibilities clearly defined?
  
• Did the workload feel manageable?
  
• How did your role change over time?
  
• Did you feel challenged in a good way?
  

Management & Leadership

Managers have a direct impact on employee satisfaction. These questions can identify training needs or communication gaps.

• Did you feel comfortable approaching your manager?
  
• Did you feel supported and appreciated?
  
• Was feedback regular and constructive?
  
• Were your efforts acknowledged appropriately?
  
• Can you recall a time you felt unsupported?
  

Company Culture

Culture shapes the everyday experience. Use these questions to check alignment between your values and daily operations.

• How would you describe the company culture?
  
• Did you get on well with your colleagues?
  
• Were there any workplace policies that didn’t sit right with you?
  
• Did you feel a healthy work-life balance was encouraged?
  
• Would you recommend us to someone looking for a job?
  

Working Environment

Physical and virtual working environments play a significant role in productivity and satisfaction.

• What did you like most about the working environment?
  
• Were the working conditions suitable for success?
  
• What changes would make this a better place to work?
  
• How did you feel about our flexible working policy?
  
• Did you feel the benefits and supports matched your needs?
  

Resources, Training & Development

Growth opportunities matter. These questions help assess whether you’re providing the right tools and support.

• Did you have the tools and resources you needed?
  
• Were you happy with the equipment provided?
  
• Did you receive adequate training?
  
• Were you satisfied with personal and professional development options?
  
• Were your progression goals clear?
  

Closing Reflections

Always finish with open, reflective questions. These can spark valuable suggestions you might not have considered.

• How would you describe the ideal person to replace you?
  
• Under what conditions might you consider returning?
  
• What advice would you give to improve the company?
  
• What do you think are the biggest risks facing the business?
  
• Is there anything else you’d like to share?
  

Making Exit Interviews Work for Your Business

Exit interviews are only useful if the information gathered leads to action. At PurpleTree, we help Irish employers not only conduct these conversations professionally, but also analyse the results and feed them into real improvements—whether that’s rethinking a job spec, addressing management blind spots, or updating internal policies.

We also offer integrated HR support and software through our partnership with HR Duo, making it easier to document and manage exit processes in a compliant and structured way.

You don’t have to do this alone. Whether you need help refining your exit process, reviewing feedback, or adjusting your retention strategy, our senior HR professionals—Mary, Seán, and David—are here to guide you.

Contact PurpleTree today to discuss your HR needs or to set up a consultation.