• Exit interviews can be conducted before or soon after an employee leaves the company.
• Employers should choose a neutral place to conduct exit interviews.

Some organizations conduct exit interviews before the employee finally leaves, including it with the other administrative procedures, such as discussing severance, Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), final pay, references, and return of company property.

Other organizations prefer to conduct exit interviews soon after the employee has left. Waiting too long can risk having the employee’s focus shift to other things, and losing information. However, waiting a bit may diffuse any fears of retribution the employee may have had, allowing for more open discussion.

Interview location

Exit interviews, like performance reviews, should be conducted in a neutral place—not in places such as the employee’s work area or the supervisor’s office. The goal is to make the employees feel comfortable in an impartial environment.

Conducting the interview in a makeshift room may make interviewees think that the interview is not important. If done in the CEO’s office, the interviewees may get the idea that the employer is trying to put on a false front.