Imagine knowing exactly what keeps your best employees engaged and motivated. Not guessing but truly understanding their needs and aspirations. While exit interviews reveal why people leave, stay interviews unlock the secrets to why they stay—and how to help them stay even longer. It’s a proactive approach, a chance to address small frustrations before they become major roadblocks, and a powerful tool for building a culture where everyone thrives.
Stay Interview: a focused conversation between an employee and their manager to illuminate what strengthens their commitment to the organization and identify areas for improvement.
As an executive director, I experienced firsthand the power of open dialogue. When staff felt comfortable sharing their long-term goals, we could collaboratively shape their career paths and maximize their impact. Stay interviews formalize this process, ensuring every employee feels heard and valued. It’s about more than retention; it’s about fostering a workplace where people are invested in their growth and the organization’s success.
Naomi Hattaway shared useful tips on stay interviews on her Leaving Well Podcast, including what not to do and a variety of ways to think about how to connect with staff in meaningful ways. She provides an exercise of reviewing job descriptions as a group to spark conversation and look for improvements. (Or read Naomi’s article on the topic here.)
Before diving into the questions, take a moment to review each team member’s job description. This simple step can spark insightful conversations and reveal hidden opportunities for alignment and development.
Sample Questions for Individual Stay Interviews
- What do you look forward to on your way to work?
- What are you learning here, and what do you want to learn?
- Why do you stay here?
- What can I do to make your job better for you?
- What are your career goals?
Need more ideas for questions to ask? Check out this list.
Tips on Conducting Great Stay Interviews
- Send the questions in advance – let those who prefer to consider their answers in-depth.
- Schedule the stay interview separately from any performance evaluation or salary discussion meetings – this isn’t a review of their performance.
- Talk about confidentiality and stick to what you promise. If an employee tells you they are considering leaving, will you share that information with others? If they share a serious concern, ask them if you can share that with higher-ups.
- Listen and acknowledge their concerns, but don’t over-promise what you can do to fix the issues.
- Make any changes you can as soon as possible, or explain when changes will happen.
- Take this to the next level – have your board chair conduct stay interviews with board members.
- Stay interviews aren’t going to fix ongoing culture problems in your organization. If that’s an issue you are facing, the stay interviews may illuminate it. Then you can tackle culture concerns for everyone.
In a 2024 Gallup survey, 42% of voluntarily departing employees say their manager could have done something to prevent them from leaving their job. Wouldn’t you like to know what that something is? Give exit interviews a try and let me know how they go!