A stay interview is a one-on-one conversation between a manager and an employee designed to learn what the employee enjoys about their job, what challenges they face, and what changes they feel could improve the business. It's like an exit interview, but with an employee who is staying rather than exiting.
"A stay interview is just as, if not more, important than an exit interview," says Kate Heinz at Built In.* "Stay interviews are conducted with enough time to identify and correct a problem. Exit interviews, on the other hand, occur when an employee is headed out the door. When done correctly, stay interviews can have an extremely positive impact on your employee retention rate."
Stay interviews should be conversational and centered on listening to the employee rather than conducting a performance review. The point is to learn from them, as opposed to instructing them. Employees are often more willing to share honest feedback when they know the point of the discussion is to improve the workplace rather than to judge their performance. It helps to ask the right questions. Following are six questions to ask for an effective stay interview.
1. What do you enjoy most about working here?
Asking an employee what they enjoy about working at your business can help you identify your organization's strengths. They may talk about supportive coworkers, flexible scheduling, meaningful work, learning opportunities, or positive relationships with customers. Whatever answers you receive, they can give you a clearer understanding of what your employees value most. This can help you maintain and possibly strengthen these aspects of your business. Pay special attention to answers you receive multiple times from different employees. These can potentially be competitive advantages when you are recruiting and retaining talent.
2. What part of your job is the most frustrating?
On the flip side, you can learn just as much about the work experience by asking employees what they find frustrating about their job. Let them know that they are free to get whatever they want off their chest without judgment. This is where you really want to look for patterns. If you hear similar complaints from multiple people, you might have real problems that need to be addressed. These could be inefficient processes, unclear expectations, outdated equipment, scheduling issues, or anything else. Even minor improvements to points of frustration can significantly increase employee satisfaction.
3. Do you feel you have the tools and resources needed to succeed?
This is an especially important question to ask if you feel that performance isn't as good as it should be. Without indicating that you feel this way, ask them what they need that they believe would help them improve their performance. Doing so might reveal the need for additional training, updated technology, improved software or processes, or even additional staff. Requests might not fit into your budget, but having an understanding of what employees feel they need to do their job more effectively can help you prioritize future investments that benefit your team and the business.
4. What would make your job more rewarding?
This is a good question to ask to gain a sense of what employees really value in their work beyond their salary. Some may be interested in opportunities for advancement within the company. Some might be more interested in flexible schedules or mentoring opportunities. This question can help you understand the individual motivations of your employees, and this can help you create development opportunities that help them and align with your own business goals. Those who see a future with your company are more likely to stay engaged and perform well over the long term.
5. Do you feel recognized for your contributions?
Employees often want to feel valued and recognized for the work that they do. In fact, such recognition is key to improving and maintaining morale. Ask them if they feel their efforts are being acknowledged appropriately. Some may appreciate being recognized in front of the rest of the team, while others might prefer praise in private. Make sure you are giving credit where it is due, but also doing so in a way that is comfortable for each team member.
6. Is there anything that might cause you to look for another job?
It's a somewhat direct question, but it's an important one. Ask it with respect and in a way that doesn't make the employee feel they're being put on the spot. Their answers can provide great insight. This is a chance for them to voice concerns about things like workload, career growth, compensation, work-life balance, or any other issues that could potentially lead to your business losing talent. Don't pressure employees into making promises that they'll stay, but try to learn from their concerns.
"Stay interviews provide employees with a platform to share their needs, concerns, and aspirations in a one-on-one environment," says Shaun Aguilera at Great Place to Work.** "Organizations that act on stay interview feedback help improve employee morale and job satisfaction."
Stay interviews help businesses identify potential issues before they lead to employee resignations. Even if you don't see the value in implementing every suggestion, these conversations can help you learn more about how your workers perceive your company and help employees feel their voices are being heard.
* https://builtin.com/recruiting/stay-interview
** https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/what-are-stay-interviews
