A Structured Guide and Recording Tool for Conducting Exit Interviews in Australian Dental Practices A departing team member who is willing to be honest with you is offering something rare and genuinely useful. They have nothing to lose by telling the truth — and if you create the right environment, most people will. The exit interview is not about damage control or changing their mind. It is about learning what your practice can do better. Done well, exit interviews reveal patterns in leadership, culture, and operations that no current team member will tell you directly. Done badly — defensively, superficially, or not at all — they produce nothing useful and leave the departing team member with a poor final impression of the practice. The Exit Interview Template 2026 is a structured guide and recording tool for conducting exit interviews with departing dental practice team members — covering reasons for leaving, role satisfaction, team culture, leadership and management, practice systems, and final reflections. Includes a PM summary section, an escalation flag, and a pattern tracker to identify systemic issues across multiple exits over time. The template is structured across 7 parts: Part A — Reason for Leaving A comprehensive checkbox list of primary departure reasons — new opportunity, career progression, dissatisfaction with role, culture, or management, personal reasons, and more. Followed by three open questions designed to surface the real reason behind the stated reason: what drove the decision, whether there was a specific moment, and what would have needed to be different for them to stay. Part B — Role and Day-to-Day Experience Five rated questions covering overall role satisfaction, clarity of responsibilities, access to tools and training, what they enjoyed most, and what was most frustrating — with open response fields for each. Closes with a forward-looking question about what could be improved for the person who follows them. Part C — Team and Culture Four rated questions covering overall team culture, inclusion and respect, team communication, and what they valued most about the team. Includes a sensitive but important open question about team dynamics or interpersonal issues that may have affected their experience. Part D — Leadership and Management The section that requires the most careful listening — and contains the most actionable insights. Five rated questions covering the PM relationship, recognition, feedback quality, development support, and a specific open question about whether they ever felt unable to raise a concern with management. Closes with what management did well and should continue. Part E — Practice Systems and Operations Three rated questions covering day-to-day organisation, clarity of systems and procedures, and operational frustrations — with a specific recommendation question for the practice. Part F — Final Reflections The five questions that matter most: one thing they would change, anything management should know but may not, whether they would recommend the practice as a place to work, something positive to leave behind, and whether they are open to staying in touch. Part G — Interviewer Notes and Actions A PM summary section to complete after the interview — covering key themes, specific actions suggested, anything requiring immediate escalation, and an overall risk assessment. Includes a Pattern Tracker table to record themes across all exit interviews over time. A single complaint may be isolated; the same theme appearing in three exit interviews in a row is a leadership signal. Practical guidelines included: Conduct the interview in the last week of employment — not on the final day Keep responses genuinely confidential — share themes, not attributions Offer the written format option for team members who find it easier to be honest on paper If anything raised constitutes a legal matter (harassment, workplace injury), take immediate action — the exit interview does not replace proper complaint management Who this is for: Practice Managers conducting exit interviews with departing team members Practice Owners who want a structured, documented exit process that generates genuine insight Any practice that currently conducts no exit interviews — or conducts them informally with no recording or follow-up 📄 Format: 9-page editable Microsoft Word document (.docx) — fully customisable with your practice name, employee details, and PM notes; designed to be printed for each exit interview and filed in the departing employee's personnel file ⬇️ Instant digital download — available immediately after purchase 🦷 Built for dental Practice Managers — Fair Work Act aware
