I’ve come across something in my career that really works! Hi, I’m Renee Fulton, President of Talis Group. Have you ever heard of a Stay Interview? I’m sure most of you have heard of Exit Interviews, but the information gathered is really too late to save the person who just gave notice from leaving.

Consider a Stay Interview. A Stay Interview is simply a meeting with a key employee to ask them Why They Stay! The types of questions you would ask are:
1. What about your job makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning?
2. What about your job makes you want to hide your head under the pillow?
3. If you changed your role completely, what would you miss?
4. Are you getting the support you need in your role?
5. Are you getting supported properly or is the support adding more work and bureaucracy?
6. If you had a magic wand, what would you change about your work, your role, your responsibilities?
7. How can we treat you better?

The answers are not a mandate to change everyone’s job, but likely a few tweaks here and there and over time will make the workplace more enjoyable for the employee and encourage them to STAY. People like to be heard and this is a great way to show key employees they really matter to the organization and you will make adjustments where possible to keep them happy.

Author: Renee Fulton
President Talis Group, Inc.