Your Guide to Exit Interviews for Cleaning Company Employees

Exit interviews are a must in the cleaning industry.

They help you discover why your current employees are leaving and where you can improve retention. With the feedback you receive, you can refine your work environment, policies, and management by getting honest feedback from employees who leave.

This guide will cover the importance of effective exit interviews, what to ask, what to avoid and how to do it right.

Why are exit interviews important for cleaning companies?

Employee turnover is a big problem in the cleaning industry, disrupting operations and driving up costs. Departing employees take valuable knowledge and skills, cause holes in the team, and reduce productivity. 

Conducting employee exit interviews gives cleaning companies a structured way to understand:

• Why employees leave

• Factors impacting their job satisfaction

• Company culture

• Efficacy of management practices

Exit interviews generate honest feedback from departing employees, helping companies spot patterns and make data-driven decisions in labor management. This process improves employee retention by identifying areas to focus on and showing current team members their voices are heard and valued. 

Interviews with employees as they part ways with the company can also be used to improve onboarding, addressing the shortcomings highlighted by exiting employees.

• Find out why employees leave and insights into employee struggles and frustrations, such as work-life balance or limited development opportunities.

• Improve company policies by identifying areas to improve employee benefits, training, or team management.

• Boost retention and create a better work environment by acting on feedback.

How can you prepare for an exit interview?

The best exit interviews occur when thorough preparation has been done.

Timing and setting are essential for a productive conversation. Conduct the interview during the employee’s last week, ideally in a private and neutral location, so the leaving employee feels comfortable giving honest feedback.

The right interviewer makes a difference. HR or a neutral third party is ideal for objectivity. Avoid assigning direct supervisors, as employees might not be willing to share their honest thoughts.

Also, create a structured exit interview template with targeted questions to obtain reasons for leaving, workplace challenges, and suggestions for improvement.

Steps to prepare for an exit interview:

1. Schedule the interview in the employee’s last week and give proper notice.

2. Choose a neutral interviewer like HR or an external consultant for an unbiased conversation.

3. Prepare thoughtful questions, such as:

4. “What made you look for a new job?”

5. “What could we have done to retain you?”

6. “What would you advise the next person in this role?”

7. Encourage an open conversation with a quiet, welcoming area with no interruptions.

Next, we’ll cover the questions during an offboarding interview.

What are the key questions to ask in an exit interview?

Whether you're the HR manager or someone from the HR team, it’s imperative to ask the right questions of your former employees to obtain the most valuable offboarding feedback. 

This feedback should cover:

• Job satisfaction and career development

• Management and work environment

• Suggestions for improvement 

Comprehensive feedback will provide a complete picture of the employee experience.

Job Satisfaction and Reasons for Leaving

Understanding why employees leave helps to identify patterns and areas to improve. 

Ask these questions:

• What made you leave the company?

• Was there a specific event or moment that led to your decision?

• How satisfied were you with your role?

• Were your job expectations clear when you were hired?

• Were your skills fully utilized in your position?

Management and Work Environment

Employee relations are crucial to employee retention. 

Ask these questions:

• How would you rate your relationship with your manager and other managers?

• Were you supported by management when you faced challenges at work?

• What management practices could be improved?

• Did you feel your feedback or concerns were heard during your time with us?

• Was there open communication between you and your team or managers?

Work Conditions and Compensation

Work environment and pay are common reasons for employee turnover. 

Ask these to find out the gaps:

• How was your workload and daily tasks?

• Was the compensation and benefits package comparable to other companies?

• Did you have the tools and resources to do your job well?

• Were you happy with the work-life balance offered by the company?

• What could be improved in the work environment?

Career Development and Growth

Growth opportunities are a significant factor in employee retention and employees following career paths within the company. 

Ask these:

• Did you have opportunities for career growth within the company?

• Was there enough training and development to help you perform in your role?

• What could we have done to keep you and grow with the company?

• Did you get constructive feedback to support your career development?

• Were there clear career paths for promotion or advancement within the company?

Suggestions for Improvement

Getting suggestions for improvement helps to refine company policies and practices. 

Ask these to get honest feedback:

• What would you suggest to make the company a better place to work?

• How can we improve our onboarding and training for new hires?

• What could we do to prevent others from leaving the company?

• Anything else to add about your experience with us?

• Are there any policies or procedures that need to be updated?

Next, we’ll cover the most common mistakes cleaning companies make during exit interviews.

What are the most common mistakes to avoid during exit interviews?

Exit interviews can provide valuable insights into why employees leave, but common mistakes can reduce their effectiveness. 

Avoid these traps to get actionable feedback and improve employee retention.

Leading the interviewee or asking biased questions. 

Asking leading or suggestive questions can skew the answers and reduce feedback reliability. Instead, ask neutral questions like “What made you leave?” or “Was it due to management issues?”

Not creating a comfortable, open environment. 

A formal or intimidating setting can deter honest answers. Choose a neutral interviewer, like an HR representative, and tell the employees their feedback is confidential.

Not documenting and analyzing responses. 

Without consistent documentation and analysis, patterns and trends are missed. Use structured templates and processes to capture feedback and get actionable insights.

Not following up on actions. 

Ignoring feedback from exit interviews erodes employee trust and improvement opportunities. Share the findings with decision-makers and develop solutions to the recurring issues.

Interviewing at the wrong time. 

Interviewing too close to an employee’s last day can feel rushed and limited—interview at least a week before departure to give time to prepare.

Effective exit interviews are only productive when conducted by human resources professionals from the HR department.

How can you use exit interview data to improve your cleaning business?

Exit interview data can improve onboarding processes and address employee retention challenges in your cleaning business.

1. Compile feedback into one place and make notes of recurring issues that come up in multiple exit interviews. 

2. Analyze employee feedback. Look for common themes like work-life balance, pay, or team dynamics. These patterns indicate systemic issues that contribute to employee turnover.

3. Take action on issues. If employees mention inadequate training, implement structured onboarding and development programs and follow up with relevant departments to improve the situation for existing employees.

4. Share with management. Present management with feedback in reports and presentations. Show them the trends and make recommendations so they are informed about team morale, company culture, and recurring issues.

5. Focus on key areas. Focus on high-impact areas like job satisfaction, employee engagement, and career growth. For example, if feedback says there are no advancement opportunities, consider promoting from within or creating clear career paths.

6. Improve employee retention. Use feedback from the interviews to update policies, improve job descriptions, and develop company culture so that current and future employees feel valued and motivated.

7. Review and adjust regularly. Review the changes made based on exit feedback. Continuously refine the strategies to adapt to changing employee needs.

Properly using exit interview data, cleaning businesses facilitate a more productive and happy workforce, reduce turnover, and overall performance.

How Aspire can help you optimize operations

Aspire’s cleaning business software helps companies to streamline and be more efficient. 

With robust features for end-to-end business management, Aspire solves many common pain points in workforce management. The cloud-based platform makes it easy to review employee incidents, attendance, and tardiness. It also provides tools for building schedules, tracking teams in the field, and improving payroll processes. 

The offline-capable Aspire Mobile app is available for Android and iOS. It delivers features to promote accountability, efficiency, and job satisfaction such as: 

• Schedule syncing 

• Job checklists

• Time tracking with geo-tagging

• Route optimization 

These features promote accountability, efficiency, and job satisfaction.

By simplifying tasks and optimizing operations, Aspire helps cleaning companies save time, boost morale and retain talent while focusing on their core business.

It’s your turn now

Exit interviews are vital offboarding tools for cleaning companies to understand turnover and retention.

They can help you form new guidelines for hiring future employees for your cleaning business.

Take control of your workforce management and unlock your business’s growth potential with Aspire.

Book a free demo with Aspire today.