Exit interviews investigate why people leave. Stay interviews explore what motivates people to stay.
Stay interviews*:
- Deliver information that can be used today.
- Give practical insights for engaging and retaining top performers.
- Provide managers with a reliable process for developing individual stay plans.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Stay interviews: a 5-step strategy:
#1. Begin with top performers.
It might be good to interview everyone, but you don’t have to. Learn from highly engaged top performers who’ve been with you the longest.
#2. Put them on the agenda.
Develop a stay interview process that includes frequency. Get it on the calendar.
#3. Ask the same questions.
#4. Notice patterns.
#5. Follow-up.
Let people know you take stay interviews seriously. Schedule follow-ups before you leave the room.
- Report patterns.
- Commit to appropriate change.
- Ask for new insights.
- Discuss development plans.
15 questions:
- Compared to other places you’ve worked, what’s different about working here?
- What interested you in working here?
- How are we living up to what you expected?
- What words best describe what it feels like to work here?
- How would you like working here to feel?
- What do you notice about the people who are thriving here?
- What are we doing that makes this place a place you could see yourself staying for a long time?
- If you recommended our company as a good place to work to a friend, what would you say?
- What do you enjoy most about your job? Least?
- How much of your day are you using your strengths?
- What makes you feel valued here?
- How are we helping you fulfill your career aspirations?
- What would you like to do more of? Less of?
- If you were the boss, what would you do more of? Less of?
- What would you like to learn?
Tip: Choose 3-5 questions. Don’t use 15.
How might leaders hold a great stay interview?
What questions do you suggest?
*Source: The Power of Stay Interviews for Engagement and Retention
4 Ways to Deal with what Really Drives Leaders Crazy
Why ‘stay interviews’ are the next big trend of the Great Resignation