SHRM developed this guide using the same general-purpose AI tools it describes. The prompts are intended as starting points and may need to be adapted, reviewed, and validated for your specific use case.
AI can help you get more done with the HR work you already do, from drafting and summarizing to organizing information and generating ideas. But it does not know your organization, your people, your policies, or your obligations unless you provide that context. This prompt gives you a starting point, with space to add the unique information AI needs to support your work.
Prompt — Analyze Exit Survey and Interview Data
Replace everything in brackets before you run the prompt.
Analyze these exit survey responses and interview notes.
Context: [time period, number of leavers, what was asked]
How I will report this: [aggregate only / by department / by tenure band] with a minimum group size of [Number]
Data:
[PASTE — REMOVE NAMES, MANAGER NAMES, AND ANY DETAIL SPECIFIC ENOUGH TO IDENTIFY ONE PERSON]
Give me:
- Themes built from what people actually wrote, ranked by frequency, with counts and representative quotes.
- Where the stated reason for leaving differs from the experience described, with examples.
- How themes differ by tenure band.
- Themes that appear in only a few responses but describe something structural rather than personal.
- What is conspicuously absent given what people usually raise in exit interviews.
Rules:
- Do not soften criticism of the organization or of management.
- Give real counts, not impressions.
- Never speculate about who wrote a response.
- Do not report any theme where the group is smaller than [Number].
- Flag separately and immediately anything describing harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or a safety concern.
Write in plain, everyday language. Do not use jargon or invented terms; if a simpler word exists, use it.
Optional, if available: give the AI your organization's style guide, brand voice guide, or writing standards document alongside this prompt so the output matches how we write.
Check Before You Publish
Before you publish, review the AI-generated draft carefully. You are responsible for the final version.
- Check facts, figures, dates, requirements, and other details against the information you supplied or the original source.
- Paste in any legally required or compliance-sensitive language yourself. Do not let AI generate it.
- Confirm nothing was invented, assumed, or taken out of context.
- Verify that the final version reflects your organization, your audience, and the purpose of the work.
Use your judgement as an HR professional. AI can assist with the work, but you make the final call. Looking for more prompts? Explore the AI Prompts Guide for HR for more prompts and templates to support your HR work.
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