Stay interviews: What are they and why should employers use them?

Companies of any size should be familiar with exit interviews, which are conducted with employees leaving the business to establish their reasons for moving on. These are exceptionally useful tools for ascertaining what changes could be made to increase employee engagement and retention. But in order to conduct these interviews, you have to get to the stage of a staff member resigning their position.

Stay interviews are something else that offers the opportunity to do things differently with the aim of reducing turnover, increasing staff morale and encouraging engagement. In its?2021 Global Human Capital study , Deloitte found that staff value an employer that understands the "importance of asking better questions that guide organizations to better results." The stay interview is an excellent way to do exactly that.

According to Forbes, there are?three main reasons ?why companies should adopt stay interviews:

• Learn about an employee's motivations.
• Identify patterns and areas for change.
• Understand exactly what they need to stay.

So how do stay interviews work and what benefits can they bring?

Confidential and continued

Stay interviews, very much like any other form of HR discussion, are conducted privately on a one-to-one basis with an employee. The aim is to encourage freedom of expression and openness for them to provide constructive, honest feedback about working for the organization. This can be challenging at first — staff may initially feel dubious or reluctant to speak openly. Unlike exit interviews, employers have the chance to have follow-up stay interviews with employees so that progress and changes can be tracked over time.

Staying on the positive side

One thing that stay interviews are not is a place for disgruntled employees to offload their gripes and grievances. While there is some likelihood that staff could take the opportunity to identify issues in the workplace, stay interviews are more usually conducted with engaged, long-term employees who can also highlight the positive attractions of the organization.

Stop turnover before it happens

When you have actively engaged with the workforce in one-to-one interviews you will begin to see more frank and honest divulgences about their working lives. While you are likely to come across some isolated instances of an individual's preference or opinion, it is far more likely that you will quickly start to see patterns forming. These patterns are going to be the best indicator of what is working well and what could be improved upon. Consensus is key to striking a good balance.

A two-way conversation

Stay interviews are an excellent way to open up a dialogue with employees around any points of importance. This could be used to find areas where things are excelling as well as to address issues, encouraging a sense of respect and eagerness to listen on the part of the company. It can also be used to contextualize and explain things to employees. Transparency and a willingness to involve staff in conversations instill a feeling of being valued and trusted, which in turn increases the likelihood of retention.