Template

Stay interview template

Ask a valued person, while they are still happy enough to stay, what keeps them, what might pull them away, and what would make their work better — and then act on it.

30 minutesFor A manager and one team memberAgenda room
Change the agenda first

The agenda, with a time for each part

  1. What keeps you here6 min
    • What do you look forward to in your work?
  2. What frustrates you8 min
    • What would you change if you could?
  3. What might pull you away6 min
    • What would make you think about leaving?
  4. What you want to learn6 min
    • What would you like to be doing a year from now?
  5. One thing I will do4 min
    • What one thing can I change for you?

How the notes read afterwards

A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.

Keeps. The people, and working on hard problems.

Frustrates. Being pulled into meetings that could be emails.

Might pull away. A chance to lead a team.

One thing. Removed from two weekly meetings; asked to lead the next new-hire project.

Running it well

Ways to change it

Whole teamHold one with every person over a month, then share the common themes.
New startersAt six months, the same questions.

When to skip it. With someone who has already resigned — that is an exit interview.

Questions

What is a stay interview?

A conversation with a current employee about why they stay, what frustrates them and what might make them leave, held to keep good people before they think about leaving.

What questions are asked in a stay interview?

What they enjoy, what they would change, what might tempt them to leave, what they want to learn, and what the manager could do differently.

How is a stay interview different from an exit interview?

A stay interview happens while the person still works there and can still be kept; an exit interview happens after they have decided to leave.

What happens in the room

Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.

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