THE ANTIDOTE TO THE GREAT RESIGNATION
THE “ STAY ” INTERVIEW written by Nancy Germond , Big I National
Even given rumors of a possible looming recession and higher unemployment rates just predicted by the Feds , agency managers must do all they can now to reverse employee losses . The stay interview is a strategic tool employed by many organizations to determine the reasons employees would leave , a proactive approach to employee retention . Once you perform an exit interview , it is usually too late to salvage the relationship between you and that exiting worker . The stay interview can catch that dissatisfied employee before he or she starts looking for a new employer .
What is a Stay Interview ? A stay interview is a guided conversation between an employee and his or her supervisor . In that conversation , you will learn what your employee likes about the job , what stressors that employee may face , and where that employee may feel stuck in his or her career path . The stay interview is proactive because , ideally , you schedule the talk before you recognize that employee is a flight risk . It ’ s almost like a performance review – something you want to perform annually . As we saw when COVID hit and many employees transitioned to work from home , things can change quickly .
The stay interview is effective only in corporate cultures where employees trust their managers . With trust , employees will be more open and provide honest feedback . If they believe they will either face a penalty for speaking honestly , or that nothing will change based upon the interview , the stay interview will be ineffective .
The Benefits of the Stay Interview Here are some of the benefits of the stay interview :
• Managers can pinpoint pain points before they fester and burst in either a confrontation or a resignation .
• Managers can help to ensure they understand where the employee wants to go in his or her career . Designing a clear career path for employees is one excellent way to retain them .
• Managers can better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the interviewee .
• Managers can better align workflows based on that employee ’ s likes and dislikes when possible . For example , if an employee is less detail oriented and more strategic , reassigning some detailed work such as expense reports to others can help reduce the interviewee ’ s task friction .
• Managers may be able to realign tasks viewed as clerical to appropriate clerical help .
• Employees will feel valued and that their thoughts and opinions matter .
Questions to Ask While a Google search for “ stay interview questions ” will yield many suggestions , here are some important ones to consider asking :
• What is going right in your job ?
• What would you change if you could ?
• What are your favorite tasks ?
• Are there tasks you do not enjoy or that you feel others could perform more effectively ?
• How are you getting along with your coworkers ? Do you feel there is a good teamwork spirit ? If not , what can we do to improve teamwork ?
• Do you understand your duties ?
• Do I ( your manager / supervisor ) support you in your efforts ? How can I do better ?
• Did you receive adequate training for new tasks , or do you need additional training ?
• If you need additional training , in what areas do you need IT and do you know of resources ?
16 KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER