Stay Interviews: When and What to Ask

Is your company utilizing the valuable retention tool of stay interviews? While you may already be asking occasional, light-hearted questions like “Why do you like working here?” or “What keeps you coming back?”, there’s a strategy to what you ask and how you probe for more information in a stay interview.

What is a Stay Interview? A stay interview is typically a 1-on-1 meeting between an employee and a manager where the manager asks probing questions to see what is and isn’t working for the employee.

The best stay interviews show that you care about the employee, that you appreciate their efforts, and that you’re open to making changes. As the interviewer, you should listen 80% of the time, take notes, ask probing questions, and prepare an action plan based on the insight provided.

How often should I conduct stay interviews? According to Richard P. Finnegan, author of “The Power of Stay Interviews,” these interviews should be held twice a year. For new hires, the first interview should be held at 90 days and the second one at 180 days. For existing employees, stay interviews should be held every 6 months.

Should a stay interview be conducted with a performance review? Stay interviews allow the employee to evaluate the company, whereas performance reviews allow the company to evaluate the employee. Since the purpose and mood behind each interview is completely different, these interviews should be held separately from each other.

Originally published at stratus.hr on September 9, 2019.