Stay Interview Template

Passivity and complacency are lethal to retention. All too often, companies don't learn that key employees are unhappy until after they tell you they're leaving. Identifying dissatisfaction early gives you an opportunity to address the issue while there's still time to keep the employee in the fold. The so-called Stay Interview is one effective strategy for achieving this objective. Here's a template Stay Interview you can use as a script or conversation guide. Best Practices for Stay Interviews and use of this template: 

• Conduct Stay Interviews separately from performance reviews. 
• Focus on listening to the interviewee, not defending your company or its policies. 
• Identify and track recurring complaints or themes across teams and locations. 
• Follow up—unkept promises you make during the Stay Interview will increase turnover risk. 

Go to the HR Insider site for a 5-step Retention Strategy Game Plan that you can implement at your organization. 

Template For Conducting Stay Interviews With Current Employees 

Instructions: The purpose of the "Stay Interview" is to improve retention of key employees by proactively identifying potential retention risks, thereby enabling the Company to retain and strengthen the employee's engagement. Stay Interviews should be carried out with current employees in critical or high-risk roles once a year and/or after employees achieve key accomplishments or milestones.