What happens to an employee's survey if they leave during the engagement survey month?

If they finished the survey before leaving, their response counts. If not, they still count as eligible, which can lower your participation rate.

The eligible count is set when the survey opens on the 1st. Because the employee was active then, they stay in that group for the whole month, even after they leave. If they hadn't responded yet, their invite closes once the termination is processed, and their survey link stops working. If they try to open it, they'll see a message that the link has expired.

The employee may receive an exit survey instead, depending on your account settings.

Example: The survey opens May 1 and the employee leaves May 8. They stay in the eligible group because they were active on May 1, so a survey completed between May 1 and May 8 counts. Once the termination is recorded in Retain, their survey link stops working. If they try to open it on May 9, they'll see that the link has expired, since they're no longer eligible.

For what can shift the eligible count, see what can change the engagement survey eligible count. That article also addresses what happens if they take the survey before the separation is recorded in Retain.