Many South Florida companies utilize exit interviews to help them determine why employees move on to new opportunities. However, waiting until someone’s last day to ask them why they were dissatisfied does little to manage employee turnover. A much more successful approach to employee retention is to adopt the practice of “stay interviews.”
What is a Stay Interview?
Stay interviews are periodic, one-on-one interviews between managers and highly valued employees who are engaged in their jobs. These interviews can identify and reinforce those factors that drive employees to stay with the organization. They also help to minimize triggers that might lead those employees to seek out opportunities at other companies.
The Benefits of Stay Interviews
Stay interviews have a variety of benefits for the organization, including:
- Building Confidence and Morale. Employees who are asked why they stay with the company will feel as though the organization cares about their feelings and opinions, helping them cultivate a greater sense of confidence about the job they are doing.
- A Personalized Approach. Surveys and other structured retention-building techniques focus on groups of employees, while stay interviews are conducted one-on-one, focusing on the needs of the individual.
- Focus on Positive. So many HR surveys and interviews focus on negative factors, while stay interviews focus on the positive, a refreshing change for both managers and employees. They give everyone a chance to reflect on what they like about their jobs, rather than what they dislike.
- Proactive, Rather than Reactive. Stay interviews give employees a safe platform to air any potential grievances or issues early on, before they become problems that could trigger their exit. Managers can work to fix these issues with the employee, rather than getting caught blindsided down the road.
- No Specialized Training Required. Mangers can conduct stay interviews without extensive formal training. They simply follow the toolkit provided by the HR department.
- They Promote Action. Exit interviews are designed to identify problems. Stay interviews focus on identifying actions that can improve employee experiences.
- The only expenses involved in stay interviews are the time involved in creating the questions and action plans, and the time that it takes the manager and employee to conduct the interview.
With a stay interview program in place, managers can periodically work with key employees to reinforce the reasons why they stay, and minimize those factors that frustrate them and may eventually lead to their departure. Employee retention is an issue that plagues many companies in South Florida. We now live in a world where employees can make knee-jerk reactions to bad situations at work. This is especially true in IT, where job opportunities are plentiful and talented individuals can easily seek and find new opportunities.
If your South Florida organization is looking for strategic ways to improve retention rates among your IT teams, it all starts with recruiting the right people. At CERS, we can help you attract and retain, highly skilled IT talent. If you would like more information on how CERS can help you improve retention and performance, contact us today.
