Stay interviews can save your organization a lot of trouble later on. If you work in a Human Resources (HR) or managerial role, chances are you’re familiar with exit interviews, which are generally conducted after an employee gives a notice of quitting. On the contrary, stay interviews are held with current employees in order evaluate their current satisfaction with their role, the company and their future plans.
While you may feel as though stay interviews are a risky invitation for employees to attempt to re-negotiate their salary or benefits package, very few employees ask for a raise during a stay interview. If conducted properly, stay interviews allow for an open communication between the interviewer and the employee about the aforementioned topics. There are many different ways to go about stay interviews, from one-on-one interviews, to paper or electronic surveys, to focus group centered activities. If you’re having trouble developing questions for a stay interview, here are 11 great questions to ask current employees that will aid in determining their outlook. Pascoe Workforce Solutions have outlined three important reasons why your company should begin to conduct stay interviews.
Gain Insight to Company Problems
Talking with current employees is a great opportunity to learn about what is and isn’t working in the company. By asking valued employees from various departments about their experiences, any discrepancies can be detected and processes can be improved. If multiple employees raise the same red flags such as mismanagement, lack of teamwork, or even thoughts of quitting, it provides the organization a chance to remedy the problems before they become costly.
Learn About Employees
Learning the perspective of employees will also provide insight to the employee themselves. By learning more about the individual behind the worker, your organization is demonstrating the value you place on your employees. Hearing what they like about their job as well as their career goals will allow your company to evaluate where, or even if, it will be in the employees’ future. If the employee is speaking highly of the company as well as about how much they love their job, it may be wise for your organization to invest into this employee and provide training or advancement options for them. However, if the employee seems hesitant to answer, is overly negative or makes everything about pay it may be a sign that they’ll leave you for the next best offer that comes along.
Reduce Employee Turnover
Stay interviews are ultimately beneficial in reducing employee turnover. The cost of recruiting new employees can be quite expensive. By measuring job satisfaction, engaging valuable employees and making them feel as though their input matters (and it should) to your company, employee level of job satisfaction tends to increase. By showing the company cares about concerns and will implement changes, employees are more likely to stay loyal and give their best in return.
Instead of waiting until the end of an employee’s time at your company, it’s in the organization’s best interest to utilize stay interviews to not only reduce turnover, but to work to improve your organization as a whole and make it more appealing for current and future employees alike. Pascoe Workforce Solutions, a staffing agency servicing New England and beyond, is here to help your organization prosper by providing workplace insights. Contact us today for assistance in handling your employment needs.