There are many reasons why stay interviews are important. They can help identify potential retention risks, allow you to assess an employee’s commitment to your organization, and determine if they plan on staying with the company for the long haul. Furthermore, stay interviews allow employees to share their thoughts on their job satisfaction and any issues or concerns they may have. By conducting regular stay interviews, you can create transparency and open communication culture that will encourage employees to stay with your organization longer.
What are Stay Interviews?
Many people have heard of exit interviews, whether you conducted one or participated in one. They are helpful when the employee is already exiting the organization, but what about before they decide to leave? The prevention of this scenario is why stay interviews are critical. Stay interviews collect information about a person’s everyday experience in the workplace as an employee. They reveal what excites them in their role and the workplace and their organizational concerns.
How to Conduct a Stay Interview
Stay interviews are typically conducted through in-person or electronic one-on-one interviews that ask specific questions to obtain the necessary information. Stay interviews can also be done via an online survey. When conducting stay interviews, allow the employee to do 80% of the talking, also known as the Pareto Principle 80/20 (Vignesh & Babu, 2014). The interviewer can make the employee more comfortable by interviewing over coffee or lunch to feel safe to speak freely. Creating psychological safety is essential so that the employee can be transparent and honest. The employee must know their feedback is confidential and will not face any consequences for their honesty.
The Benefits of Stay Interviews
(Peacock, 2019; Patil et al., 2016)
- Learn employees’ concerns before they leave
- Retain top talent
- Save money on recruiting, hiring, and training
- Provide feedback to the leader for leadership improvement
- Increase employee trust and loyalty
- Increase employee motivation
- Employees feel heard and valued
How to Apply Stay Interviews
Organizations can use the information from stay interviews to reinforce positive reasons to stay with their organization, create retention strategies, increase team cooperation, supervisor competence, consistency in treatment, performance feedback, career opportunities, and other positive aspects related to the workplace (Vignesh & Babu, 2014).
Examples of Stay Interview Questions
(Hatke Baumgartner, 2015)
1. What things do you most look forward to in your workday?
2. Why do you stay at your organization?
3. What frustrates you about your organization?
4. What keeps you motivated?
5. What keeps you from doing the best you can?
6. What are some reasons you might consider leaving the organization?
7. Has something caused you to consider leaving? Has it been resolved?
8. What ways can we help you be successful at this organization?
Conclusion
Stay interviews are an important way to get to know your employees and understand what they value in their work. The information you gather from stay interviews can help you improve your workplace culture and make your employees feel more valued. If you’re not currently conducting stay interviews, we encourage you to give them a try. They may be the key to unlocking improved employee satisfaction and engagement. Have you conducted any stay interviews lately?