Exit Interviews: How Open Should You Be?

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: WSJ Your Money Briefing
Episode: Exit Interviews: How Open Should You Be?
Date: August 6, 2021
Host: J.R. Whalen
Guest: Allison Poley, WSJ Reporter

---

Episode Overview

This episode explores the tricky dynamics of exit interviews—a standard process as employees depart a job. Host J.R. Whalen and reporter Allison Poley discuss how candid employees should be in these conversations, the motivations on both sides, and practical guidance on sharing feedback effectively and professionally.

---

Key Discussion Points

1. Purpose and Practice of Exit Interviews

• Not Mandatory but Common:
  Exit interviews are usually not required, though many employers conduct them. Employees' pay and benefits are legally protected regardless of participation.
  Quote: "They are not typically a requirement, but many companies do them. ...an employer can't withhold your final pay if you choose not to participate." — Allison Poley (02:01)

• Intended Benefits:
  For companies:

  • Gain insight into workplace issues and improve retention (02:23)
    For employees:
  • Opportunity to share feedback and possibly influence change (02:56)

• Balancing Honesty and Professionalism:
  Employees should be honest but constructive, avoiding burning bridges.
  Quote: "You can be as honest as you want, you just have to be professional." — Allison Poley (03:21)

---

2. How to Prepare for an Exit Interview

• Strategize and Structure Feedback:
  Prepare key points and organize them around themes rather than venting all frustrations (03:56)
• Frame Constructively:
  • Focus on improvement and mutual respect. Quote: "I'm bringing this up because I care about the company and the co-workers that I'm leaving..." — advice relayed by Allison Poley (04:17)
• Be Direct, But Courteous:
  • Remember long-term professional relationships; recommendations or future encounters are possible (03:21)

---

3. What’s Off Limits?

• Personal Future Plans:
  Employees don’t need to disclose where they’re going or their new salary if they prefer not to (05:19) Quote: "Workers are not obligated to answer questions about where they are going to work or how much they're going to make at a new job during an exit interview." — Allison Poley

---

4. Real-Life Exit Interview Experiences

Allison shares insights from several professionals she spoke with:

• Sales Associate, Chicago:

  • Prepared a bullet-point list of issues, such as lack of paid time off and perceived insensitivity in internal memos about racial justice (05:41)
  • Didn’t expect changes but valued getting things off her chest.

• Sales Manager, Nashville:

  • Used an exit survey to express disappointment in coworkers’ COVID-19 safety compliance and the company’s inconsistent pandemic response (06:08)
  • Left in search of a company aligned with his values.

• Financial Compliance Professional, NYC:

  • Spoke candidly about poor communication and unclear COVID-19 return-to-office policies (06:40)
  • Felt compelled to be honest, especially after seeing colleagues suffer without adequate HR support.

---

5. Outcomes and Employee Reflections

• General Sentiment:
  Most participants appreciated the chance to share feedback and felt better for having participated, even if they doubted immediate change (07:00)
  • "Overwhelmingly, people felt really happy that they participated... even if the HR department might not take into consideration every single element..." — Allison Poley (07:03)
• Balance Found:
  Successful exit interviews balanced honesty with professionalism.

---

Notable Quotes

• On participation requirements:
  “They are not typically a requirement, but many companies do them ...an employer can't withhold your final pay if you choose not to participate.” (02:01, Allison Poley)
• On honesty versus professionalism:
  "You can be as honest as you want, you just have to be professional." (03:21, Allison Poley)
• On framing feedback:
  "I'm bringing this up because I care about the company and the co-workers that I'm leaving..." (04:17, advice via Allison Poley)
• On limits of questioning:
  "Workers are not obligated to answer questions about where they are going to work or how much they're going to make at a new job during an exit interview." (05:19, Allison Poley)
• On post-interview feelings:
  "Overwhelmingly, people felt really happy that they participated in the exit interview." (07:03, Allison Poley)

---

Important Timestamps

• [02:01] Exit interviews: not mandatory, won’t affect final pay
• [02:23] HR’s goals: learn and improve
• [03:21] Striking honesty/professionalism balance, future job references
• [03:56] How to prepare constructive feedback
• [05:19] Topics employees can skip (future job/salary)
• [05:41] Real-life examples of exit interviews
• [07:03] Employees’ feelings after their exit interviews

---

Summary Takeaways

• Exit interviews can be valuable for both departing employees and employers, but honesty should be coupled with professionalism.
• Employees should prepare, frame feedback constructively, and remember they aren’t obligated to discuss future plans.
• Most employees report positive feelings about participating in exit interviews, even if change is not guaranteed.
• These conversations offer a unique—if potentially fraught—opportunity to effect positive change for those left behind.

Transcript

[A]

Still running global payroll like a relay race Deal replaces fragmented payroll vendors with one global system no third parties hire, manage and pay teams in 150 plus countries with in house local experts and white glove delivery and deal plugs into what you Already use Workday SAP Netsuite operate like a local everywhere visit d e l.com WSJ that's d e e l.com WSJ.

[B]

Here's your money briefing for Friday, August 6th. I'm J.R. whalen for the Wall Street Journal. Earlier this week we talked about questions to ask yourself before quitting a job. If you do decide to leave on your way out, you might be asked to do an exit interview with someone from the Human Resources department.

[C]

The idea is that because the employee is leaving, they might be able to speak a little bit more honestly about their experience that they had during their time there.

[B]

But how honest should you be? Our reporter Allison Poley has spoken with HR experts along with workers who were in exit interviews as they were leaving a company. She'll tell us what she learned after the break.

[A]

Deal replaces fragmented payroll vendors with one global system, no third parties hire, manage and pay teams in 150 plus countries operate like a local everywhere visit d e l.com WSJ.

[B]

Handing in your resignation from a job is often followed by a call from the HR department for an exit interview. People leave jobs for a lot of reasons, and some workers might view the exit interview as a chance to air their grievances. But how far should you go? How honest should you really be? Our reporter Allison Poley is here to talk about it. Alison, thanks for being with us.

[C]

Thanks so much for having me.

[B]

So Alison, first of all, are exit interviews typically a requirement when somebody leaves a job?

[C]

They are not typically a requirement, but many companies do them. But if you're nervous about it, your paychecks or benefits are governed by federal and state laws, so an employer can't withhold your final pay if you choose not to participate.

[B]

Okay, so what's the intended purpose of the exit interview? And what do HR departments want to learn from soon to be ex employees?

[C]

So ideally, exit interviews are an opportunity for the company to learn what they could have done better or what they can do better in the future. And the idea is that because the employee is leaving, they might be able to speak a little bit more honestly about their experience that they had during their time there. But it's a tough balance and employees, a lot of them question just how honest they should be.

[B]

Yeah, employees could be kind of walking a fine Line and I want to get to that in a moment. But with the exit interviews, is there any benefit to the departing employee to take part in one?

[C]

Yeah, for employees, it can be an opportunity for them to get certain things off their chest. And it is a forum where they can provide the employer with some information in the hopes that they can make improvements.

[B]

But don't these kinds of interviews put employees in a tough spot? I mean, like you said, they want to be honest, but they don't want to come across as being rude or insulting.

[C]

Absolutely. It's really tough to strike a balance between being honest and not wanting to burn a bridge. So one expert I spoke to said you can be as honest as you want, you just have to be professional. It can be tough because a lot of employees are looking for job recommendations down the line or they might end up working with some of the professionals who they worked with at their current company. So they want to find a way to be as constructive as possible while also being direct and respectful.

[B]

Okay, so how do HR professionals say that workers should prepare for an exit interview?

[C]

Experts say you should think about the main points that you want to convey during your time there. It shouldn't be a one way venting session where you're explaining all of your frustrations, but in advance you might think about your experiences and draw them into themes. And if you are nervous about giving some of this feedback, try to frame it in a constructive way. So for example, one expert suggested that you might frame your feedback by showing that you care about the place that you're leaving, which is why you're being honest. So you can say something such as, I'm bringing this up because I care about the company and the co workers that I'm leaving and hope that you might be able to make some improvements.

[B]

And then looking at things from the perspective of the company and the HR department, it seems like they can learn a lot about what's going on at the employee level in the exit interview, but only if people are open and honest about their experiences.

[C]

It can be tough for an HR department to make accurate and specific recommendations if employees aren't forthcoming about why they were leaving. So for example, if half a dozen employees left because of the same circumstance or even the same person, but only one of them was honest about why, it can be tough for the HR department to make an accurate recommendation for change to happen within the organization.

[B]

But are there certain topics or questions that employees should know are out of bounds in an exit interview?

[C]

So HR experts say workers are not obligated to answer questions about where they are going to work or how much they're going to make at a new job during an exit interview. So if you're uncomfortable with sharing that information, you don't have to.

[B]

So now you've spoken to several people who recently quit their jobs for an assortment of reasons and had some sort of exit meeting on their way out. What were their experiences?

[C]

So I spoke to one sales associate for an Internet marketing company in Chicago, and she prepared a bullet point list for her exit interview and talked about everything from a lack of paid time off to how the company's internal memos about racial justice seemed to lack feeling. And she said she doesn't expect much to change, but she appreciated the opportunity to get everything off her chest. I also talked to a sales manager at a retail store in Nashville who loved his job. He didn't have a formal exit interview, but he did an exit survey. And on that survey he said he wanted to work for a company that stood by its values. And he was referring to how his coworkers didn't consistently wear masks in the store. And the response to the pandemic dismayed him so much that he was pretty eager to leave that job. I also spoke to a financial compliance professional who works in New York City, and she said she spoke pretty candidly about the poor communication around the company's return to the office plan. She also brought up the policies for employees who had tested positive for COVID 19. And she said she felt compelled to speak honestly because she had some co workers who were hospitalized with COVID 19. And when they were released, they had to come home and figure out whether they still had jobs waiting for them.

[B]

And how do the people you spoke with feel about the interviews after the fact?

[C]

Overwhelmingly, people felt really happy that they participated in the exit interview. A lot of them felt like they were able to find a balance between being honest, but maybe not too honest. But in most cases, they were able to get the main issues that they had in mind off of their chest. And even if they felt like the HR department might not take into consideration every single element that they brought up, they appreciated the opportunity to be able to give that feedback.

[B]

All right, that's Wall Street Journal reporter Allison Poley. Alison, thanks for coming on the show.

[C]

Thanks so much for having me.

[B]

And that's your Money briefing. I'm J.R. whalen for the Wall Street Journal.

[A]

Still running global payroll like a relay race deal replaces fragmented payroll vendors with one global system. No third parties hire, manage and pay teams in 150 plus countries with in house local experts and white glove delivery and deal plugs into what you already workday SAP netsuite operate like a local everywhere visit de l.com WSJ that's d e e l.com WSJ.