Exit interviews: a chance for employees to roast the company or spill the tea?

Ah, the exit interview. That bittersweet ritual where departing employees are granted the sacred mic and HR sits there trying to figure out if they’re about to hear a well-thought-out critique or a verbal Molotov cocktail. If you’ve ever been on the HR side of one of these interviews, you know it’s like opening a mystery box. Is it a box of chocolates? Or is it one of those glitter bombs you can never clean up? Let’s dive in and unpack this strange yet oddly fascinating tradition.

The setup: an awkward stage for the final act

Picture this: the employee has already handed in their resignation, their desk plant has mysteriously disappeared, and their computer desktop is squeaky clean because they’ve wiped all their browser history (just in case). The exit interview is scheduled for their last week, and HR is left with the task of playing both detective and therapist.

It’s a little like speed dating, except instead of trying to win someone over, you’re hoping they’ll be brutally honest… but not too honest. You want the truth, sure, but maybe not the kind of truth that makes you question every decision you’ve ever made as an HR professional.

And let’s not forget the delicate choreography involved: you ask open-ended questions, they awkwardly shift in their chair, and both sides pretend there’s not an invisible countdown clock ticking toward the "freedom pizza party" waiting for them in the breakroom.

Roasting vs. spilling the tea: what’s the vibe?

Now, here’s the thing about exit interviews: they come with energy. And that energy usually falls into one of two categories:

  1. The Roast: This is when the employee shows up with the sole purpose of giving the company a verbal smackdown. Think of it as the professional equivalent of a stand-up comedy roast but with fewer laughs and more "I don’t know who needs to hear this, but…" moments.

    Suddenly, every annoyance they’ve bottled up for the past three years comes pouring out like they’re unloading baggage at the world’s worst therapy session. "Why are there so many pointless meetings?" "Why is there never any paper in the printer?" "Why does Susan get away with being late every day while I get written up for sneezing too loud?"

    Roasters don’t hold back. They don’t care about burning bridges—they’re already halfway across the river and lighting a campfire on the other side. And as HR, you’re sitting there like, “Okay… but could we not set everything on fire?”

  2. The Tea Spiller: These are the employees who, whether out of pettiness, goodwill, or sheer exhaustion, decide to spill all the behind-the-scenes drama they’ve been dying to share. It’s like a Real Housewives reunion, but with fewer sequins and more “I thought you should know…” statements.

    These are the folks who’ll tell you exactly why that one manager has the highest turnover rate, which teams are secretly running shadow operations, or who keeps eating all the snacks in the breakroom and blaming it on “the interns.”

    Tea spillers can be gold mines for uncovering systemic issues—if, of course, you can sift through the pettiness and figure out what’s actually worth addressing. (Note: “Karen is annoying” is probably not going into the next HR strategy meeting agenda.)

Can we even trust what they say?

Now, let’s get real for a second. How much of what employees say in exit interviews is genuinely useful feedback, and how much is, well… a mix of venting and last-minute theatrics? The answer is complicated.

When people are leaving, they’re not always at their most objective. They’ve already checked out mentally, and some are just itching to drop a bombshell on their way out. Others, however, might be genuinely trying to leave things better than they found them. The challenge for HR is figuring out which is which.

And then there’s the fear factor. Let’s not pretend that every employee waltzes into their exit interview ready to bare their soul. Some are worried that whatever they say will get back to their soon-to-be-former boss, who will then promptly put a curse on their LinkedIn endorsements. This is why many employees take the “everything’s fine, thanks for the memories” approach, leaving you with feedback that’s about as useful as an umbrella in a hurricane.

So, what’s the point of exit interviews, really?

Here’s the dirty little secret no one likes to admit: exit interviews are as much about closure as they are about feedback. For the employee, it’s a chance to unload, whether that’s with a polite, “I think there’s room for improvement,” or a full-on mic drop. For HR, it’s about gathering just enough intel to prevent future issues without spiraling into existential despair.

The trick is to use these interviews to spot patterns. Sure, one person leaving might tell you the coffee machine is terrible, but if five people say it’s the management style that’s grinding them down? That’s a pattern worth paying attention to. You can’t fix everything, but you can use exit interviews to shine a light on things you might’ve missed.

Final thoughts: roasting, tea-spilling, or real talk?

At the end of the day, exit interviews are a weird blend of therapy session, confession booth, and post-mortem analysis. Whether they come with a side of roast or a splash of tea, they’re an invaluable tool for understanding what’s working—and what’s really, really not.

So, the next time you’re sitting in an exit interview, take a deep breath, grab your notebook, and remember: even the harshest feedback is a chance to grow… or at least come up with a good story for your next HR team meeting.

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