The Power of Stay Interviews: A Road Map to Retention

As employers seek ways to reduce turnover and retain top talent, ‘residence interviews’ are emerging as a worthwhile strategy. Stay interviews are nothing new. Some TD practitioners were using them successfully long before the pandemic disrupted and destabilized our workforce.

In retrospect, we find it best practice to wait until the “exit interview” to document employee roadblocks and obstacles that could have been avoided, resolved, or certainly improved, and often learned for the first time. Why?

Stay interviews can reveal more about employee satisfaction than engagement surveys filled out by a small percentage of employees who are loyal. may become. One-on-one meetings are more accurate than anonymous random surveys and harder to avoid.

Specifically, what can you learn from a stay interview? Conversations like these can build trust among colleagues, break down silos, and build pathways between teams and departments. They can provide a safe haven to investigate the underlying factors that hinder performance. The interviewer should come up with a solid list of questions and participate with sincerity and curiosity.

Consider the following questions.

• What has been the most challenging part of your role over the past 12 months? What are you most proud of doing, creating, or participating in?

• What are your daily challenges and concerns? If you could solve them right now, what would you do or ask?

• What hidden talents would you share with your colleagues if you had the chance?

• If you could share your most innovative ideas with senior leaders, who would they be and what would your ideas be?

• How can you be more effective and empowered in your role? How can you be more committed?

Of course, there are multiple ways to raise related questions. Tone and body language are also important in creating a safe environment.

At the Center for Leadership Studies, research and decades of experience with the Situational Leadership® model show that when it comes to motivation, it is important to understand and address someone’s key motivations for peak performance. I know that Providing opportunities to share these nonjudgmentally and building responsibilities around them is a powerful way to retain valuable employees and thrive in your organization.

For more information, join us for The Power of Stay Interviews: A Road Map to Retention on Monday, May 22, 2023 from 3-4pm in Room 24A.