The Benefit of Stay Interviews

How companies can retain top talent has been a theme throughout all of 2022. One of the most beneficial ways to retain employees involves open communication. We've sent out surveys and talked to our teams in meetings, but there's another form of communication that helps employees feel even more heard. Stay interviews are planned meetings with an employee so leaders can learn ways to improve, why people are staying with the company, and reasons they may leave. 

These interviews should be scheduled separately than regular one-on-one meetings. Be sure to give a few days of notice so each employee can prepare their thoughts and any questions they want to ask. It's important that managers come to the interview prepared as well. Some good questions to ask include:

1. 1. 1. 1. What would make your work more meaningful?
         2. How do you like to be acknowledged?
         3. What are you learning here and what do you want to learn?
         4. When was the last time you thought about leaving and why?
         5. What can I do to make your job better?

Before diving in with your questions, ensure your employee knows they can share their honest opinions, and that their feedback will be used only in a positive way. As a leader, you may learn some things your company is doing well and should keep on doing, but you also may uncover some weak areas that need improvement. 

A stay interview is a great way to learn more about your employees and ensure that they feel heard and comfortable bringing things to the attention of company leaders. Integrating one or two stay interviews per year will provide another way to regularly receive feedback and ensure your company stays on top of leading issues that could leave to losing good talent. When planning for 2023, consider adding stay interviews into a regular rotation with your teams.