Stay interviews and shifting the focus to existing talent

Business owners are moving away from solely focusing on recruiting new talent by shifting the spotlight to their current workforce. There is no denying it’s a difficult labour market so instead of looking outward, managers are looking inward to see how existing workers can be retained, and better utilised for the benefit of the business.

Why should I introduce stay interviews in my business?

Stay interviews are an effective way for managers to have regular and open dialogue with workers in order to gauge engagement levels, and identify the things that the business is doing right and wrong from the perspective of the employee. Essentially, it allows managers to stay informed and address issues within the workplace, before it gets to the stage where employees are looking to leave.

How do I conduct a stay interview?

This will differ from employer to employer. The one thing to remember is that the aim is to gather real, meaningful feedback from workers, so it needs to be structured in a way that allows for important information to be collected and reviewed.

Unlike performance reviews, stay interviews should be approached with a casual tone, keeping it light and conversational. This way, employees are more likely to share sensitive subject matters such as having low levels of job satisfaction, issues with other employees or management, or even concerns with the business itself.

Managers should also provide suitable notice to workers when conducting a stay interview, and ensure that employees are aware of the nature of the meeting. That way, workers have an opportunity to prepare and are not left feeling caught off guard.

What types of questions should I ask an employee during a stay interview?

Although managers should approach a stay interview in a casual and conversational way, it’s also important to go into it with a standard and structured list of questions. Employees will provide feedback and insight during the interview, but it’s the job of the employer to ask specific questions in order to get the worker to open up, whilst guiding the conversation. A few examples of some questions to ask an employee during a stay interview are:

What do you look forward to when you come to work each day?
What do you like most or least about working here?
What keeps you working here?
If you could change something about your job, what would that be?
What motivates you about your job? What demotivates you?

What topics should I avoid during a stay interview with an employee?

The aim of a stay interviews is to have open and honest conversations with employees so that any feelings and emotions surrounding either the role or the business or both, can be discussed candidly. In light of this, managers should avoid discussing topics relating to performance or using it as an opportunity to provide feedback for improving productivity – these kinds of issues should be addressed during performance reviews instead.

How often should I conduct stay interviews with my employees?

The frequency with which stay interviews are conducted will vary from business to business, and is entirely up to the employer. That being said, time spent organising and conducting stay interviews is well worth the investment if in the end, it helps to keep valuable employees with the business.

The key is consistency and ensuring employees are given the opportunity to have these types of conversations with management on an ongoing basis. Many employees find the idea of approaching a manager with feedback about the job uncomfortable, particularly if the feedback is negative. By scheduling regular check ins with workers, managers will avoid surprises by staying informed, and be better equipped to deal with issues that have the potential to threaten employee retention.

What are the benefits of conducting stay interviews?

Communication within a business is vital to its success, so creating opportunities for ongoing dialogue with employees in order to support job satisfaction seems like a no brainer, right? Not only do stay interviews allow managers to identify issues and concerns that need to be addressed, but they also promote honesty, transparency, and trust within the business which in turn translates to happier and more engaged workers.

Want to improve retention in your business? Get in touch with our team, via the chat box here or calling us on 08 6150 0043. Our team of highly skilled HR professionals can help to identify areas of development and provide advice on strategies to increase employee engagement.