Email template · Resignation and offboarding
Exit interview invitation email
In short
An exit interview email invites a departing employee to share, in a short meeting or an online survey, why they are leaving and what would have kept them. It should name who runs the conversation, how long it takes, how answers are used and that it is optional. Below are four templates, subject lines and an SMS version.
When to send it: Send it two to five business days after the resignation is accepted, so the meeting or survey lands in the last week of employment but not on the final day. For hourly staff with short notice, send it the day notice is given.
Exit interview invitation email: 4 versions
Meeting invitation
SubjectA short exit conversation before your last day
Hi [First Name], Thanks again for everything you've done on the [Team Name] team. Before your last day on [Last Working Day], I'd like to set up a 30-minute exit conversation. It's a chance for you to tell us, honestly, what worked and what didn't: the role, your manager, pay, schedule, growth, anything. I'll be running it, not your manager, and I'll share themes with leadership without attaching your name to specific comments. Pick a time that suits you here: [Scheduling Link] It's completely optional, and saying no won't affect your final pay, references or eligibility for rehire. If you'd rather write your thoughts down, I can send a short survey instead. Thank you, [Your Name] [Title], [Company] [Phone Number]
Online exit survey
Subject[First Name], 10 minutes to help us improve?
Hi [First Name], As you get ready to leave [Company], we'd value your honest feedback. This survey takes about 10 minutes: [Survey Link] Your responses go to the HR team, not your manager. We review results in groups each quarter, so individual answers aren't shared with your team. Please complete it by [Survey Deadline]. If you have something you'd rather say in person, reply to this email and I'll set up a call. Wishing you the best in what comes next, [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Hourly and frontline
SubjectQuick question before you go
Hi [First Name], Thanks for your time working with us at [Location]. We're trying to make [Job Title] a better job for the people who come after you, and your input helps. Could you answer 6 quick questions from your phone? [Survey Link] It takes about 3 minutes and it's optional. Your supervisor won't see your individual answers. If there's anything you want to talk through, call or text me at [Phone Number]. Thanks, [Your Name] [Company] HR
Senior or long-tenure employee
SubjectWould you share your perspective before you leave?
Hi [First Name], [Years of Service] years is a long time, and you've seen more of how [Company] works than almost anyone. Before you finish on [Last Working Day], I'd be grateful for an hour of your perspective. I'm interested in the big things as much as the reasons you're leaving: what we should keep, what's getting in people's way, and what you'd change if you were running [Department]. [Senior Leader Name] has asked to see a summary, and I'll check with you on anything you'd like kept off the record. Would [Proposed Date and Time] work, or is there a better time? Happy to meet in person or by video. With thanks, [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Subject line ideas
- A short exit conversation before your last day
- Your feedback before you leave [Company]
- Exit survey: 10 minutes, confidential
- Help us make [Job Title] a better job
- [First Name], can we get your honest take?
- Before you go: a few questions from HR
- Exit interview: pick a time that works
SMS and WhatsApp version
Hi [First Name], it's [Your Name] from [Company] HR. Thanks for your work with us. Would you answer 6 quick questions about your time here? Takes 3 min, optional, and your supervisor won't see your answers: [Survey Link]
Placeholders to replace: [First Name], [Team Name], [Last Working Day], [Scheduling Link], [Survey Link], [Survey Deadline], [Location], [Job Title], [Years of Service], [Department], [Senior Leader Name], [Proposed Date and Time], [Your Name], [Title], [Company], [Phone Number]
Timing: when the exit interview email should go out
The sweet spot is the middle of the notice period. Ask too early and the person is still negotiating handover and feels watched. Ask on the last day and they are busy returning equipment and saying goodbye, and the meeting gets squeezed or skipped.
For a two-week notice, send the invitation on day two or three and aim to hold the conversation around day seven or eight. For hourly roles where people often give a few days of notice, or none, send a mobile survey link the day you learn they are leaving and a text reminder 48 hours later. Many teams also send a second, shorter survey 30 to 60 days after departure. People are often more candid once their final paycheck has cleared and they are settled somewhere new.
If you also send a resignation acceptance email, keep the exit invite separate. Bundling them makes the interview feel like part of the paperwork rather than a real request for input.
What to include so people actually say yes
Participation is the whole game. A typical response rate for emailed exit surveys is somewhere between 30 and 60 percent, and the difference usually comes down to a few lines in the invitation:
- Who runs it. Say plainly that HR, not the direct manager, conducts the interview. Manager issues are among the most common reasons people leave, and nobody will raise them with the manager in the room.
- How long it takes. Thirty minutes for a meeting, under 10 for a survey, about 3 for frontline staff on a phone.
- How answers are used. Explain that results are reviewed in aggregate and what that means in practice.
- That it is optional, and that declining has no effect on final pay, references or rehire eligibility.
- A choice of format. Some people will talk but not write; others will only type.
Don't promise full anonymity if you can't deliver it. In a five-person team, a comment about the night shift supervisor identifies its author. Say "confidential" and explain who sees what.
Meeting or survey: picking the format
Live conversations give richer answers and let a skilled interviewer follow up ("you said the schedule was the problem; was it the hours or how far ahead you got them?"). They cost about an hour of HR time per person, so they make sense for salaried, specialist and long-tenure leavers.
For high-volume roles, a survey is the only format that scales. A 400-seat contact center losing 25 agents a month cannot run 25 live interviews, but it can send a six-question mobile form and get trend data within a quarter. Build the questions once in a tool like online forms and feed the answers into exit and attrition reporting so themes by site, shift and supervisor show up without anyone retyping spreadsheets.
For the meeting itself, use a consistent question set so answers are comparable; our exit interview questions page has a structured list, and the exit interview form gives you a printable or digital version to record answers.
Tone and personalization
Write as if you want the answer, because you do. Thank the person for something specific when you can ("you trained half the new hires on second shift this year"). Avoid language that sounds defensive or procedural, like "as per company policy, all departing employees are required to attend an exit interview." Required exit interviews mostly produce polite, useless answers.
Keep the tone the same whether the person is leaving on good terms or not. If someone resigned after a difficult stretch, a warm and neutral invite is more likely to get an honest account than anything that hints at the conflict.
Confidentiality and legal notes
Exit interview notes can become evidence. If a departing employee raises harassment, discrimination, wage issues or safety concerns, treat it as a complaint and route it to whoever handles investigations, even though the person is leaving. Do not put "exit interview" notes in the same folder as performance documents, and keep them factual.
Never make final pay, accrued PTO payout or the return of a deposit conditional on attending. Final pay timing is set by state law, and several states require payment on the last day for involuntary separations or within a short window for resignations. Rules vary by state, so check before you design the process. For a fuller definition of the practice and how companies use the data, see our glossary entry on the exit interview.
Follow-up and mistakes to avoid
One reminder is enough. Send it two or three days after the invite, and if there is still no reply, let it go and try again with a post-departure survey. Pressure produces bad data.
The common mistakes:
- The manager sends the invite. It signals the manager will see everything.
- Booking it on the last afternoon, right alongside the laptop return and the last working day email.
- Collecting and never using the answers. If people later hear nothing changed, word spreads and future participation drops.
- A 40-question survey. Six to twelve focused questions get finished; long ones get abandoned halfway.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write an exit interview invitation?
Thank the person, explain the purpose in one line, say who runs it and how long it takes, and explain how answers are used. Offer a booking link or a survey link, say it is optional, and give a date to respond by. Keep it under 150 words.
Is an exit interview mandatory?
In the US, employers can ask but there is no legal requirement for the employee to take part. In practice, making it mandatory lowers the quality of answers. Never tie it to final pay or references.
Should I send an exit survey or hold an exit interview?
Use a short mobile survey for high-volume and hourly roles, where live interviews don't scale. Use a live conversation, ideally with HR rather than the manager, for salaried, specialist, senior or long-tenure employees, and offer the other format as a backup.
When is the best time to send an exit survey email?
About midway through the notice period, so the conversation happens before the final, busiest day. A second survey 30 to 60 days after departure often surfaces more candid feedback.
Are exit interviews confidential?
They should be confidential, meaning only HR sees individual answers and results are reported in aggregate. They cannot be fully anonymous in small teams, and any report of harassment, discrimination or a legal violation must be acted on, so say that honestly.
What if an employee declines the exit interview?
Thank them, offer the survey link in case they change their mind, and leave it there. Record the decline so your participation rate is accurate, and try a post-departure survey a month or two later.