Exit interview form: learn why people leave and what to change

The real reason for leaving often comes out on the last day, or never. I would rather ask in writing, at a calm moment, and keep every answer in one list. This exit interview form does that for HR, without a long meeting. It also works as an employee exit survey.

Who it is for

HR leads, owners and managers in small businesses and larger teams who want to learn why people go and what to fix.

What each question is for

Role, team and time in the job: to spot patterns by group.
Main reason and other reasons: one pick for the count, more for the full picture.
What they enjoyed, and what made work harder: the two lists you can act on.
Manager support and room to grow: short ratings you can compare.
Recommend and return: a sign of how they feel as they leave.
Permission to quote: you only use their words if they tick it.

What a leaver's AI would ask

"What was your main reason for leaving?" Then "What made your work harder?" Then "How well did your manager support you, from 1 to 5?" It shows the answers and sends only after a yes. See agent-fillable forms.

Before you use it

This is a form, not legal advice. Have a professional check wording that has legal weight. Read all leavers together each quarter, not one at a time. Collect the notice itself with a resignation form. To hire a replacement, use an interview availability form and an interview evaluation form. More in forms for HR and recruiting.

Questions

Should the exit interview also happen in person?

A form lets people answer in their own time. Offer a short talk as well, and use the form answers as your agenda.

Can I quote what a leaver wrote?

Only if they agree. The last question asks whether you may quote them without a name. Filter the CSV for that tick before you share any words.

How do I spot patterns across leavers?

Use the form for everyone who leaves. Count the main_reason column by team and by length of service, then read the comments from the biggest group.

Or paste the JSON

Give this to your AI. It needs the AI Form API MCP server or an API key. It makes the form and sends you the link.

text

Create this form with the AI Form API create_form tool (or POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms with my API key). Then reply with the public_url.

{
  "title": "Before you go: your honest view",
  "description": "Thank you for your time with us. Your answers help us improve for the people who stay. You can skip any question.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "leaving_role",
      "label": "Your role",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "team_or_department",
      "label": "Your team or department",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "time_in_role",
      "label": "How long did you work here?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Under 1 year",
        "1 to 2 years",
        "3 to 5 years",
        "More than 5 years"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "main_reason",
      "label": "What was your main reason for leaving?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Better pay",
        "Career growth",
        "Management",
        "Workload or stress",
        "Culture",
        "Relocation",
        "Study or family",
        "Another offer",
        "Something else"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "other_reasons",
      "label": "Did anything else play a part?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Pay",
        "Growth",
        "Management",
        "Workload",
        "Culture",
        "Flexibility",
        "Commute",
        "Tools and equipment"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enjoyed_most",
      "label": "What did you enjoy most about working here?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 1500
    },
    {
      "id": "made_work_harder",
      "label": "What made your work harder?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 1500
    },
    {
      "id": "manager_support",
      "label": "How well did your manager support you?",
      "type": "rating",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "room_to_grow",
      "label": "How much room to grow did you have?",
      "type": "rating",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "would_recommend",
      "label": "Would you recommend us as a place to work?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes",
        "Maybe",
        "No"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "would_return",
      "label": "Would you consider coming back one day?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes",
        "Maybe",
        "No"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one_change",
      "label": "If you could change one thing, what would it be?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 1500
    },
    {
      "id": "may_quote",
      "label": "You may quote my answers without my name",
      "type": "checkbox"
    }
  ]
}

Or call the API

bash

curl -X POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIFORMAPI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"Before you go: your honest view","description":"Thank you for your time with us. Your answers help us improve for the people who stay. You can skip any question.","fields":[{"id":"leaving_role","label":"Your role","type":"short_text","max_length":150},{"id":"team_or_department","label":"Your team or department","type":"short_text","max_length":150},{"id":"time_in_role","label":"How long did you work here?","type":"single_choice","options":["Under 1 year","1 to 2 years","3 to 5 years","More than 5 years"]},{"id":"main_reason","label":"What was your main reason for leaving?","type":"single_choice","required":true,"options":["Better pay","Career growth","Management","Workload or stress","Culture","Relocation","Study or family","Another offer","Something else"]},{"id":"other_reasons","label":"Did anything else play a part?","type":"multi_choice","options":["Pay","Growth","Management","Workload","Culture","Flexibility","Commute","Tools and equipment"]},{"id":"enjoyed_most","label":"What did you enjoy most about working here?","type":"long_text","max_length":1500},{"id":"made_work_harder","label":"What made your work harder?","type":"long_text","max_length":1500},{"id":"manager_support","label":"How well did your manager support you?","type":"rating","min":1,"max":5},{"id":"room_to_grow","label":"How much room to grow did you have?","type":"rating","min":1,"max":5},{"id":"would_recommend","label":"Would you recommend us as a place to work?","type":"single_choice","options":["Yes","Maybe","No"]},{"id":"would_return","label":"Would you consider coming back one day?","type":"single_choice","options":["Yes","Maybe","No"]},{"id":"one_change","label":"If you could change one thing, what would it be?","type":"long_text","max_length":1500},{"id":"may_quote","label":"You may quote my answers without my name","type":"checkbox"}]}'

JSON definition

json

{
  "title": "Before you go: your honest view",
  "description": "Thank you for your time with us. Your answers help us improve for the people who stay. You can skip any question.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "leaving_role",
      "label": "Your role",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "team_or_department",
      "label": "Your team or department",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "time_in_role",
      "label": "How long did you work here?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Under 1 year",
        "1 to 2 years",
        "3 to 5 years",
        "More than 5 years"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "main_reason",
      "label": "What was your main reason for leaving?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Better pay",
        "Career growth",
        "Management",
        "Workload or stress",
        "Culture",
        "Relocation",
        "Study or family",
        "Another offer",
        "Something else"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "other_reasons",
      "label": "Did anything else play a part?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Pay",
        "Growth",
        "Management",
        "Workload",
        "Culture",
        "Flexibility",
        "Commute",
        "Tools and equipment"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enjoyed_most",
      "label": "What did you enjoy most about working here?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 1500
    },
    {
      "id": "made_work_harder",
      "label": "What made your work harder?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 1500
    },
    {
      "id": "manager_support",
      "label": "How well did your manager support you?",
      "type": "rating",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "room_to_grow",
      "label": "How much room to grow did you have?",
      "type": "rating",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "would_recommend",
      "label": "Would you recommend us as a place to work?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes",
        "Maybe",
        "No"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "would_return",
      "label": "Would you consider coming back one day?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes",
        "Maybe",
        "No"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one_change",
      "label": "If you could change one thing, what would it be?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 1500
    },
    {
      "id": "may_quote",
      "label": "You may quote my answers without my name",
      "type": "checkbox"
    }
  ]
}

Exit interview form for people who are leaving