Give the exit interview somewhere to go

Growth · Little Light original

A departing colleague is asked what the organisation could have done better. They answer carefully: the workload kept expanding, decisions were unclear, and a concern raised several times never found an owner. Notes are taken, thanks are offered, and the file closes with their employment record. An exit interview cannot repair everything, and one person's account should not become a verdict. It can still reveal a pattern that current employees feel less safe naming. Review themes across departures. Separate a difficult individual experience from a recurring condition. Give the relevant leader a question to answer, an action to consider and a date for returning to it. Protect confidentiality rather than turning candour into gossip or blame. People often speak most plainly when they no longer need the room's approval. Receive that honesty with more than courtesy. Listening at the door only matters if what you learn can travel back inside and improve the experience of those who remain.

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