What to say when someone is leaving a job

When an employee is leaving a job at your place of business for another employment opportunity, you should wish them well, ask them if they need a reference, and conduct an exit interview. Here is a closer look at what you can say and the actions you can take when one of your employees is leaving their job:

• Wish them well

  To keep your company's reputation in good standing you should always wish employees that are leaving well. You can express your own excitement for their new opportunity, if they are in fact going into a new role somewhere else, or you can detail what a pleasure it has been to work with them.

• Ask them if they need a reference

  Also to keep up your company's reputation and remain professional, you can ask the leaving employee if they need a reference.

• Ask them to participate in an exit interview

  Exit interviews represent a great learning opportunity for your company. You can not mandate that your employee who is leaving must commit to one, however, if you kindly ask them, they are likely to oblige.

Here are some tips on how to prepare and conduct an exit interview:

Determine who will be conducting the interview

Human resource officials are commonly used by companies to conduct exit interviews because they have the ability to create a neutral atmosphere for the employee to share their thoughts on the company and their overall experience and because HR can take the feedback from the interview and possibly seek to improve or change certain company policies.

Prepare for the exit interview

It is important to do the necessary preparation for an exit interview, even if you have conducted them before. Determine what questions you will ask the employee and do your due diligence in learning about the employee and what they have contributed.

Have the employee complete a survey

The employee is not obligated to do this, but if you present one in a polite manner, it could provide valuable information and data points when compiled with other surveys.

Listen closely during the exit interview

When not actively listening to an employee during an exit interview, it means this interview was not necessary. You are there to hear their thoughts and experiences.

Ask the employee if you can share their responses with senior employees

Exit interviews are mostly conducted with the prerequisite of them being confidential. However, you can still ask them if you can share their answers with managers or other higher-up company officials.

Common exit interview questions

Here are some examples of effective questions to ask in an exit interview: