The labor market is tight in early 2022.
The pandemic has brought us 'The Great Resignation', and it isn't surprising when employees heading back to the office experience a change of heart about their current role.
As employees resign to pursue more appealing opportunities, many managers experience a rude wake-up call. These resignations require managers to invest time and resources into finding suitable replacements.
Rather than having to re-hire, how about exploring techniques to keep turnover at a minimum in the first place? Meet: the stay interview.
CONDUCT STAY INTERVIEWS
The stay interview, taken with close collogues of a recently resigned employee, is a rarely used managerial tool that gives managers insight into employee’s thoughts. It brings out why colleagues might be leaving, ultimately assisting managers in stemming the tide of future resignations.
Below some tips for successfully conducting stay interviews.
HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE CONVERSATION
The basic idea is simple: speak with the team members who worked closest with the recently departed employee.
Your team members will have likely spoken with the former employee about their roles, satisfactions and dissatisfactions, and have a better why their co-worker decided to leave. Gaining an understanding can identify issues that are causing employees to leave.
As manager conducting the stay interviews, it is imperative to explain to the current employees the rationale for the interviews. Being frank clarifies that this isn't a witch, hunt but rather an honest effort to understand the situation. This way, you will gain their trust, and display candor and humility. Moreover, this ideally give the employee the confidence and comfort to speak openly and honestly about the situation as they see it.
BREAKING THE ICE: TIPS FOR THE DISCUSSION
The employee is likely to be on edge discussing a recently departed co-worker. Here’s some advice on how to break the ice:
Managers need to demonstrate concern and support for the remaining team members. Managers should ensure that employees understand that they are interested in their well-being and want to make certain that they have all the tools and resources necessary to help them cope with the departure of their teammate.
It is critical that staying employees understand the manager’s expectations in the wake of the recently departed employee.
Manages can also gain staff confidence and retention by allowing the remaining employees an opportunity to participate in the decision-making process. Stay interviews should be vehicles for employees to voice thoughts on improvements, the role, and the team as a whole.
An open discussion also provides the manager insights into who can or cannot concisely identify issues and communicate them succinctly. In some cases, employees will clearly show their potential to be an effective future team lead.In sum, managers can – and should! – use stay interviews as an opportunity to identify what existing employees need to meet their expectations, both from a work and personal development standpoint. Conversely, employees will gain insight into what is required of them to advance their careers, as well as personal development available to them.
PREVENTING ADDITIONAL DEPARTURES
Shifting the conversation to why employees leave, questions to the remaining employee should focus on their take as to why colleagues have left, and insight they have that could prevent additional resignations from.
From the managers perspective it is vitally important not to speak ill of the departed employee. Plus, in the case that you yourself are the reason for the resignation, don’t be defensive! Listen and learn.
WALK THE WALK
We’ve all experienced it: Managers asking for feedback to improve a situation, and then not acting on it, run the risk of further alienating their team.
Don’t be that person! Managers should always reconfirm that the stay interview is all about improving the work situation/environment for the remaining employees, and either act on recommendations, or explain what they do with the feedback.
SUMMING UP: MAKING THE MOST OF STAY INTERVIEWS
Done correctly the stay interview is a powerful management tool that can improve employee, loyalty, open additional lines of communications, and improve overall team morale. These critical workplace characteristics are highly sought-after in today’s complex work environment.
Give it a try – you may learn something about your team, yourself, and you may even enjoy it!
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