12 Questions to Ask During a Stay Interview

You interview someone before hiring them and again when they leave your company. But, have you ever thought about interviewing someone while they’re still with your company? These types of meetings are called retention or stay interviews.

They’re one-on-one discussions between you and each team member to encourage them to continue working for you and to find out how they feel about your business. They go hand-in-hand with employee satisfaction surveys but help you figure out what’s going on at an individual level, instead of a company-wide level.

There are four strong reasons why you should consider conducting these:

1. You’ll be able to identify any potential problems before they become big problems – like the issues that cause people to quit. Read also: How to Prevent Good Employees from Leaving
2. They can help you boost engagement.
3. It’s easier and cheaper to keep someone than hire a new worker, so you’ll be able to learn what you need to do to retain your existing workforce.
4. You’ll understand how to motivate your staff better. Each one of your team members has their own purposes and goals, and you won’t know what those are if you don’t ask.

How should you conduct stay interviews?

Try to have these conversations once a year and attempt to schedule them all within a few weeks of each other. By holding them all around the same time, you’ll be able to notice any patterns and put any necessary action plans into place quickly.

When it’s time to start your stay interviews, don’t just pull people into your office. Instead, schedule them in advance so your staff takes them seriously and can prepare for them.

At the beginning of the actual interview, tell each employee that their opinions and views are important. Then, tell them that you want to learn more about why they like working for the company. That way, your team knows that you’ll actually do something with what they tell you, and they’ll be comfortable enough to tell you the truth. Then, consider asking them the following 12 questions:

1. Can you tell me what you would need in order to do the best work of your life?
2. Have you felt frustrated or anxious about your current job position in the past year? What contributed to those feelings?
3. Why do you look forward to coming to work every day?
4. Why do you dread coming to work?
5. What kind of recognition do you want to receive that you’re not currently getting?
6. What professional growth opportunities would you like to have that go beyond your current position?
7. What kind of flexibility do you need to help you have a healthier work-life balance?
8. What skills or interests do you have that the company isn’t using?
9. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment during your time at this company?
10. What’s your dream job?
11. Do you feel like your job helps the company achieve its goals? Why or why not?
12. Do you feel productive at work? What would you change to feel more productive?

Read also: 7 Tips for Creating a Feedback-Rich Culture