Ultimately, the truth reveals itself—often during an exit interview, where well-meaning managers carry out surveys and pose challenging questions without fear of repercussions. This moment provides former employees with the opportunity to express how things truly were. But why wait until that point to discover that miscommunication or a pattern of negative experiences—sometimes even things that could be rectified or avoided—were the driving factors behind losing a valuable team member? Likewise, for employees, why postpone sharing these vital insights until it becomes too late to take action?
What does a “stay” interview entail?
Enter the concept of the “stay” interview. This more proactive method allows employees to discuss the reasons for remaining in their jobs as well as what might motivate them to leave before they actually do.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management, productive meetings of this nature include asking “standardized, structured questions in a relaxed and conversational tone.” They suggest keeping these discussions to around thirty minutes. Managers should emerge with improved insights into what their employees require to feel happier and more effective in their roles. There’s a lot at stake—in a survey of small business challenges, 33% highlighted retention and employee motivation as a primary concern.
There’s a valid reason exit interviews alone are insufficient for enhancing retention. Jenny Maenpaa, LCSW, EdM, founder of Forward in Heels, a boutique career coaching service, states that “exit interviews don’t serve to retain that particular employee, and they often have limited utility for retaining others in the future because implementing structural changes based solely on the views of a departed individual is usually not a sound management approach.” She further notes that if feedback were solicited while the employee is still committed to their development at the organization, management could apply that feedback in real-time. However, utilizing the feedback for others after the employee has departed is typically not an effective method.
This may be the right moment to implement stay interviews not only to boost retention rates but also to foster the most robust workplace culture possible.
Regular stay interviews may become essential to your company culture
You shouldn’t feel compelled to wait for a disgruntled employee to bring forth unexpected feedback to hold regular stay interviews. For some, these are essentially another term for frequent check-ins, as Maenpaa utilizes them.
“Stay interviews are beneficial because they allow those in authority to initiate the conversation. Employees often hesitate to discuss matters they think may be perceived as complaints or criticisms, especially if they’ve encountered negative experiences in the past,” she explains.
Implement 2x2s
Maenpaa’s supervisor employed the 2×2 method previously during stay interviews with her and other team members. Each participant shares two aspects:
- What they are excelling at, and what the other person excels at
- What improvements they could make, and what the other person could enhance
“This approach helps mitigate the sting of perceived criticism, enabling individuals to accept feedback without becoming defensive,” she remarks. “I’ve observed that nearly every time, the points I identify that require improvement align with what the other person brings up as needing enhancement, and vice versa.”
Anticipate some uncomfortable truths to emerge
Stay interviews are crucial if you are aiming to uncover the root causes of employee retention challenges. Consequently, interviewers and managers must be ready to engage with the genuine truth to foster a collaborative and authentic dialogue during the meeting.
“Among the positive discussions I had while conducting stay interviews were conversations about career advancement opportunities, a supportive work atmosphere, and recognition of accomplishments,” comments Marla J. Albertie, owner and founder of TruthSpeaksGroup LLC, a multimedia coaching organization for women. “Conversely, less favorable topics included insufficient managerial support, lack of diversity, workload concerns, poor communication, or frustrations about specific company policies.”
Leaders should exemplify constructive criticism techniques during stay interviews
Do not expect employees to disclose all their weaknesses or challenges without your willingness to do the same. Thus, it is essential to lead by example.
“If [the employers] demonstrate self-criticism first and outline how they plan to address it, employees will realize they don’t need to fear giving feedback or worry about falling into a trap,” Maenpaa shares.
Deliberately select the appropriate timing
If you are not treating these interviews as interchangeable with regular check-ins and are conducting a more focused evaluation of everyone’s motivations to stay (or depart), there are certain times that may be more suitable for conducting stay interviews.
“They can be carried out periodically or in specific circumstances, such as when an employee has been with the organization for a designated period, after finishing a significant project, or during times of organizational transitions. We conducted ours once as part of a DEI initiative,” Albertie states.
Pose this crucial question
Asking the appropriate questions in a stay interview leads to more contented employees compared to an exit interview. Kirsten Moorefield, co-founder and COO of Cloverleaf, suggests, “The questions I ask are straightforward yet open-ended: What can I start doing, stop doing, or continue doing to better support you?” She adds this proactive request for feedback feels empowering and conveys the message: “I am dedicated to your growth, well-being, and success.”
Ideally, a stay interview shouldn’t be necessary
Some argue that the stay interview isn’t proactive enough. “Essentially, a comprehensive performance management and career development strategy should ideally eliminate the need for separate stay interviews,” Moorefield asserts. “When systems are in place that consistently evaluate, guide, and nurture an employee’s career path, with their leadership genuinely committed to them (rather than relying on merely recorded plans), the main reasons for an employee’s decision to stay or leave an organization are naturally addressed.”
Moorefield believes meaningful one-on-one discussions between employees and supervisors are equally effective. “The insights, concerns, aspirations, and feedback that may emerge in a stay interview are frequently raised in these personal and constructive interactions.”
So if you want to ensure your employees remain, provide them with compelling reasons to do so. This interview can assist in understanding what those reasons are.
