The Exit Interview Moment That Sticks
Building workplace culture is often talked about in terms of policies, perks, and processes. But there’s a moment in almost every exit interview that tells a deeper story.
No matter the reason someone is leaving – whether it’s a new opportunity, a career shift, or simply that agency life isn’t the right fit – the same sentiment comes up again and again:
“I’m going to miss the people.”
And that matters.
Because the truth is, enterprise-level agency work isn’t for everyone. It’s fast-paced. Priorities shift. New challenges and unexpected situations show up daily. Change isn’t the exception here – it’s the constant. That environment can be energizing for some, and overwhelming for others. Both experiences are valid.
But what stands out isn’t why people leave. It’s what they take with them.
Listening Is the Practice. Not the Policy.
At XWP, we’ve always been intentional about listening – really listening – throughout the entire employee experience. From the very first interaction with a candidate to their final days as part of our community, feedback isn’t a formality. It’s part of how we learn, adapt, and improve. We ask for it consistently.
Every Friday, our Weekly Pulse survey gives us a real-time snapshot of how people are feeling. Once a year, our Community Pulse goes deeper, exploring how our work aligns with our values, how supported people feel, and where we’re falling short. We offer both anonymous and non-anonymous response options because psychological safety isn’t one-size-fits-all.
And then there are the less formal but equally important channels. Our People Advocate program (affectionately known as our “Robins” – a.k.a the sidekick to your “Batman”) creates space for honest, human conversations. Homebases and social co-working groups bring people together beyond project work. Our Slack talk channels are full of discussions about everything from parenting to fitness to books and food. We celebrate each other publicly with Kudos. We share what we’re learning on company-wide XWP Live calls, from client work to conferences to experiments with AI.
Designing Connection in a Distributed World
All of it is intentional. Especially as a globally distributed, async fully-remote company, connection doesn’t just happen. You have to design for it.
And somehow, it works.
I talk to people across the company every day, and I’m still awestruck by how connected people feel: to their teams, to their work, and to each other. Even when things don’t go according to plan (and they don’t, more often than we’d like), that’s not the story people tell. The takeaway is that during the most challenging moments, they weren’t alone. They were part of a team, working through it together.
At many companies, “People & Culture” is simply a rebrand of Human Resources. At XWP, it’s intentionally different. PAC is empowered to focus on employee experience, psychological safety, community, learning, feedback, and wellbeing – not just policy and process. That distinction shapes the kinds of conversations we’re able to have and the level of trust our people place in us.
Culture Shows Up When No One Is Watching
That kind of culture isn’t built through policies or perks. It shows up in how people treat each other under pressure. In how decisions are made when profit and principles collide. In the small, everyday moments when no one is watching and no one is telling you what to do.
It’s in the teammate who steps in to help without being asked. The manager who encourages time off before burnout hits. The colleague who gives honest feedback because they care about your growth.
You can’t mandate that.
What you can do is create the conditions for it – and then listen carefully to what your people tell you.
The Most Valuable Feedback Isn’t the Positive Kind
We’re fortunate to have strong engagement signals. Our Weekly Pulse completion rate consistently sits above 80%, and our engagement scores remain high. But the numbers aren’t the part I value most.
What I appreciate most is when the feedback isn’t positive. When someone tells us their workload feels too heavy. When their work-life harmony is out of balance. When their health or wellbeing is being impacted. That level of honesty requires trust, and receiving it is humbling. Acting on it is our responsibility.
Trust me, we don’t always get it right. We’re still learning, still experimenting. But we try to approach every conversation – with candidates, team members, and XWP alumni – with empathy, honesty, and transparency.
That’s what makes this place special to me.
I’ve never before worked somewhere where people feel comfortable saying, “I’m burnt out,” without fear of judgment. Where taking time off isn’t something you have to justify. Where leaders are willing to let you try new things, get them wrong, and build on them when you get them right. I’ve experienced this grace and trust first-hand, when I unexpectedly had to take 2 months of medical leave at the end of 2025. I wasn’t rushed back to work. I was given the time and space and support to care for myself so that I could come back stronger, refreshed and ready for the challenges ahead.
People Don’t Just Leave. They Stay Connected.
That kind of environment doesn’t happen by accident. It’s shaped by every single person who’s been a part of this community, whether they stayed here for a few months or for nearly two decades (shoutout to Mike Crantea!).
And that’s the other thing I’ve noticed: People don’t just leave XWP. They stay connected to it.
Many of the people I’ve worked with here over the years are still part of my life in some way. They’ve made me a better teammate, a better leader, and a better person. Some even come back to work at our company years later, bringing new experiences and perspectives with them. Our amazing Marketing Manager, Bami Iroko, and talented Senior Staff Engineers like Fernando Tessmann and Shady Sharaf are just a few examples of this awesome “boomerang” effect.
We’re Building More Than Websites
So when someone joins the XWP community, I’m genuinely excited – not just about the work they’ll do, but for the people they’ll meet. And when someone leaves, it’s not just a transition. It’s a continuation of relationships built on trust and respect. If you’re curious about what that journey looks like, you can read more about our hiring process.
That’s what our community members mean when they say they’ll miss the people here most of all. And it’s why our clients trust us to help them achieve their goals. Because the way we work internally, how we communicate, how we support each other, and how we show up under pressure, directly impacts the work we do for them.
We’re not just building websites.
We’re building something much harder to define, and much more meaningful to sustain.
We’re building a community.
