Exit Survey Template: Ready to Use
You do not have to design an exit survey from scratch. This page gives you a complete, ready-to-run template — the exact questions, in the right order, with the reasoning behind each — so you can launch in minutes and customize from there.
The template is deliberately balanced: short enough that departing employees finish it in their final week, broad enough to cover the drivers that actually cause turnover, and structured so results are easy to analyze and act on.
For the wider program context — timing, anonymity, benchmarks and analysis — see the employee exit survey guide. When you are ready, generate this survey with AI and edit anything.
The ready-to-use template
This is a complete 18-question exit survey covering every core driver of departure — about six minutes to complete. Use it as-is, or delete the questions that do not apply to your organization.
- 1What is the primary reason you decided to leave? (multiple choice, required)
- 2In your own words, what ultimately made you decide to leave? (open text)
- 3How long had you been considering leaving before you resigned? (multiple choice)
- 4My manager gave me the support I needed to succeed. (Likert)
- 5My manager gave me clear, useful feedback. (Likert)
- 6I trusted the decisions made by senior leadership. (Likert)
- 7I felt fairly paid for the work I did. (Likert)
- 8I was satisfied with the benefits offered here. (Likert)
- 9I had real opportunities to learn and grow here. (Likert)
- 10I could see a clear path to advance my career here. (Likert)
- 11I received recognition when I did good work. (Likert)
- 12My workload was manageable most of the time. (Likert)
- 13I could maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life. (Likert)
- 14I felt like I belonged here. (Likert)
- 15I would recommend this company as a place to work. (Likert)
- 16What did we do well that we should keep doing? (open text)
- 17What is the one thing you would change about working here? (open text)
- 18Is there anything else you would like leadership to know? (open text, optional)
Why each question is included
| Question group | Driver measured | Why it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| Reason for leaving | Root cause of departure | The single most important signal — a multiple choice you can trend, plus open text for nuance. |
| Manager + leadership | Management quality and trust | Manager relationship is the biggest driver of avoidable, regretted turnover. |
| Pay + benefits | Compensation fairness | A common quiet reason people leave; two questions keep it present but light. |
| Growth + recognition | Development and being valued | People leave when they cannot see a future or feel unseen. |
| Workload + balance | Wellbeing | Chronic overload and burnout push otherwise happy people out the door. |
| Belonging + recommend | Culture and advocacy | Predicts whether they will speak well of you and whether they might return. |
| Open text | The reasons behind the scores | Where the explanations and surprises live — and where AI analysis adds the most. |
How to customize the template
- Shorten it for a fast exit pulse — keep questions 1, 2, 4, 15 and one open text for a two-minute version.
- Add a segment question — a single field for department, team or manager lets you compare groups, but keep group sizes large enough to protect anonymity.
- Adapt the language for remote, hybrid or frontline roles, especially questions about tools, communication and balance.
- Keep rating scales consistent so you can compare across departing employees over time.
- Reuse the same core questions for every departure so results are comparable.
Describe your organization in AI Studio and it will tailor this template to your structure, concerns and tone. You review and edit before sending. Compare plans and limits on the pricing page.
How to launch it in minutes
- 1Generate the survey with AI or start from a template and paste in the questions above.
- 2Turn on anonymity and set a minimum group size for reporting.
- 3Add one segment question if you want to compare teams or managers.
- 4Send it at the right moment — see the timing guidance in the exit survey guide.
- 5Watch AI analysis cluster reasons and summarize themes as responses arrive, then share findings and actions with leadership.
Build this survey with AI or browse the full template library. Then explore the exit survey questions bank and how to analyze exit surveys to go deeper.
Frequently asked questions
Keep reading
The complete guide to employee exit surveys: what to ask and when, exit survey vs exit interview, a full ready-to-use template, common mistakes and AI analysis.
The best exit survey questions organized by category — reason for leaving, manager, pay, culture, growth and open-ended — with types and tips to get honest answers.
Exit interview vs exit survey: how they differ, the pros and cons of each, when to use them together, and how to get honest feedback from departing employees.
An offboarding survey guide: what to ask departing employees about the leaving experience, when to send it, and how to turn feedback into a better offboarding process.
A practical method to analyze exit surveys: rank reasons for leaving, read open-text sentiment, compare departments and managers, and use AI to surface themes.
The complete cornerstone guide to running exit surveys.
40+ example questions organized by category.
Describe your goal and generate a tailored exit survey.
Estimate what avoidable turnover is costing you.
Browse ready-made employee survey templates.