I've had two exit interviews and I was brutally honest on both, and both times I ended up forming stronger relationships as a result of my brutal honesty. The first time I left for significantly more money, so it's an easy way to leave on good terms. During my exit interview, I gave honest feedback about the pay-scales and where I thought pay should be. After my departure, my entire team and the incoming new hires were given pay raises to exactly what I discussed with the hiring director and manager. While the author may argue that this doesn't benefit me directly, it benefited me indirectly in that my colleagues will remember me as the guy that helped them get more money and my superiors remember me as the guy that gave honest feedback and left for more money.
The second time around, I had a boss who I felt was a terrible leader and micromanager. I actually ended up having 3 exit interviews.. one with my boss, which was very short and I told him how he and his management style was directly the reason I was leaving. The next two interviews were with the CEO and an investor in the company where I was once again brutally honest about my bosses management style and some other negative feedback about the state of the company. While I may have burned a bridge with my direct boss, I formed a good relationship with a CEO and PE investor who even offered to help place me in any of the companies they invest in if I chose to stay with the company.
It's great to give your take on something, but the assertive titles on an opinionated generalization are getting annoying.
I've given exit interviews on occasion and they've been generally beneficial as well. One kept the door open to return to the company a year later with the money I asked for and mandate to do the things I said I wanted to do when I left. The other helped the company after I left to course correct and bought me free drinks whenever I'm in a particular town. If I'm leaving it's likely just a business decision (whether informed by management, direction, or dollars) and there's no reason to close the door on future business (with that company, those coworkers, or investors) to revel in some spiteful comments.
I had a similar experience with a bad manager, with similar outcomes. CEO and CTO felt bad about the issues, said they respected me for how I handled the situation, offered a severance even though I was with the company for only a short time, and offered to introduce me to others to help with the next step of career. Similarly I burned the bridge with that manager... good riddance. Years later I find out they fired the manager after a year, and that the CTO still thinks favorably of me.
The second time around, I had a boss who I felt was a terrible leader and micromanager. I actually ended up having 3 exit interviews.. one with my boss, which was very short and I told him how he and his management style was directly the reason I was leaving. The next two interviews were with the CEO and an investor in the company where I was once again brutally honest about my bosses management style and some other negative feedback about the state of the company. While I may have burned a bridge with my direct boss, I formed a good relationship with a CEO and PE investor who even offered to help place me in any of the companies they invest in if I chose to stay with the company.
It's great to give your take on something, but the assertive titles on an opinionated generalization are getting annoying.