April 7, 2022
By Kiley VanGilder, Paradigm’s Lead HR and Operations Strategist
We’ve almost all heard of an exit interview. An exit interview occurs when an employee leaves the company. HR sits down with the employee and asks them for their honest feedback. There is a lot of valuable information that a company can gather from the employee when the right questions are asked, which is why almost every company takes advantage of this time.
We need to stop waiting on an employee to have one foot out of the door before we ask them for their feedback. No one can answer the tough questions and provide the raw data like the people doing the job day-to-day.
So what’s the solution to gathering the data? STAY INTERVIEWS.
What exactly is a stay interview? I know, I know you’ve probably never heard of this and you may be turning your head in confusion. But really, its simple! Stay interviews are the exact same thing as exit interviews, only we aren’t asking our employees what we could have done to make them stay. Instead, we are asking, “What can we do to make your work environment better while you are still here with us?” There is so much that can be asked during a stay interview, but typically we want to ask some tough questions here. I’m not talking send out a Typeform to gather feedback, I’m highly recommending sitting down over zoom or face to face and asking the important questions. We need the feedback that employees are able to give, but normally keep to themselves because we aren’t directly asking for it!
A stay interview can be conducted whenever you feel necessary, but we recommend twice a year. Of course, in between stay interviews, we highly recommend staying in close contact with employees and seeking out feedback during check-ins or performance reviews. Making feedback a part of your company culture can really help to shape a company, and gathering that feedback can and should happen in different ways.
Employees need to clearly understand that their insight and feedback is of the most valuable of information to you and your leadership team, and that honesty is the most important thing during your meeting – even if the answer isn’t positive. Allowing an employee to be honest without fear of repercussion will give you the truth and allow you to find problems that may be arising and stop them before they turn into something much larger.
Below are a few questions you could ask during a stay interview:
- When was the last time you were really excited to work?
- Have you ever thought about leaving? If yes, why?
- Other than winning the lottery, why would you leave the company?
- What do you love about your job?
- What don’t you love about your job?
- Where do you need more support and how can I help you get that support?
- What is the number one thing you would change about your role right now if you could and why?
- Do you feel supported by management? coworkers?
Final Thoughts…
There are so many great questions that can be asked and these are just a few examples. And while yes they are direct questions, they need to be asked and employees need to be heard! By asking the questions, getting the feedback, and implementing change you are building a culture where employees feel heard and trusted. And that my friends, creates some highly engaged employees who want to show up with their best for you and your company!
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