From Exit Interviews to Stay Interviews

Shifting Focus to Retention

Most companies wait until an employee is walking out the door before asking the big questions:

• What could we have done to keep you?

• What went wrong?

• Why are you leaving?

By the time you’re having that conversation, it’s too late. The damage is done, and your best people are already gone.

The solution? Stop waiting for exit interviews—start doing stay interviews. Instead of learning why employees quit, focus on why they stay and what they need to stay longer.

🔥 What’s Wrong With Exit Interviews?

Exit interviews feel insightful, but they’re inherently flawed. Why?

✅ Too Late to Take Action: You can’t fix issues for an employee who’s already out the door.

✅ Filtered Feedback: Departing employees may sugarcoat their reasons to avoid burning bridges.

✅ Not Representative: The opinions of those leaving don’t always reflect those who stay.

Waiting for exit interviews to fix retention is like reading Yelp reviews after your restaurant closes. The feedback might be valuable, but it won’t save you.

💡 Stay Interviews: A Proactive Approach to Retention

A stay interview is a structured conversation with current employees to understand what’s working, what’s frustrating, and what would make them stay long-term.

🔍 Key Questions to Ask in a Stay Interview:

1. What do you enjoy most about working here?

2. What challenges are making your job harder than it needs to be?

3. Do you feel your work is valued? If not, what would help?

4. Are you growing in your role? What support do you need?

5. Have you ever thought about leaving? What made you stay?

Stay interviews aren’t about keeping employees comfortable—they’re about keeping them engaged. When done right, they surface problems before they become deal-breakers.

🚀 How Stay Interviews Improve Retention & Engagement

✅ Identify & Fix Problems Early – Stay interviews uncover small frustrations before they turn into resignation letters.

✅ Strengthen Leadership-Employee Relationships – People leave managers, not companies. Stay interviews build trust.

✅ Give Employees a Voice – When employees feel heard, they’re more engaged and invested in the company’s success.

✅ Reduce Turnover Costs – Replacing employees is expensive. Keeping them costs far less.

Organizations that consistently conduct stay interviews don’t just reduce turnover—they create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

🎯 Ready to Shift From Reactive to Proactive?

Don’t wait for a resignation letter to find out what’s broken. Start asking the right questions now.

What’s stopping you from conducting stay interviews in your organization? Drop a comment below! 👇