How stay interviews can help stop the Great Resignation

During a candid conversation with an employee, HR leaders are able to ask follow-up questions, let employees tell them what they want to discuss, and dig deeper into the employee experience. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The Great Resignation has shown no sign of stopping as the most recent Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey found a record-breaking 4.5 million workers quit their job in November. There is no “quick fix” for improving retention as needed areas of improvement change company to company and even from employee to employee. In fact, top reasons employees are leaving their jobs include burnout (40%), their company going through organizational changes (34%), lack of flexibility (20%), instances of discrimination (20%), and contributions not being valued (20%).

As an HR or company leader, this growing list of reasons for turnovers can be overwhelming as it can be difficult to pinpoint where HR should focus their efforts. However, a best practice called “stay interviews” is gaining popularity and becoming more crucial to embed in HR programs as it enables leaders to learn where the business can improve long before employees decide to leave. Stay interviews have a similar format to exit interviews, and typically occur between a member of the HR department and an employee. The goal is to gauge a staff member’s honest opinions on the employee experience. The main differentiator is the purpose of these interviews—to understand why employees who are continuing to work with the company stay and what they feel could be better or change in the future.