Stay Interview templates toolkit

A stay interview is a discussion between the employer and a current employee aimed at understanding their experiences and motivations within the company. It’s helpful to imagine them as a proactive counterpart to an exit interview - instead of asking why they are leaving, you’re asking why they stay and what could enhance their experience.

The objective is to better understand what keeps employees engaged and satisfied, with the goal of improving retention, boosting morale, and fostering a positive work environment.

By performing a stay interview, you’ll have an opportunity to gather honest feedback about both positive and negative aspects of their job. This will help you identify areas for improvement, increase employee engagement, and ensure you are creating an environment where your team feels valued and motivated to stay.

There is no legal requirement to conduct a stay interview, but they can provide you with valuable insights into your organisation’s strengths and areas for improvement.

• Stay interviews should be voluntary and not used as a condition of employment or linked to performance evaluations.

• Employers should inform the employee of the purpose of the stay interview and ensure that the employee understands that they can decline to participate or withhold any information they do not wish to share.

• Employers should ensure that the stay interview is conducted in a private and confidential setting to make the employee feel comfortable sharing their feedback and concerns.

• Employers should avoid asking questions that could be discriminatory or cause the employee to feel uncomfortable, such as questions about the employee's age, disability, religion, or sexual orientation.

• Employers should handle any personal data collected during the stay interview in accordance with data protection laws and ensure that the data is not disclosed to third parties without the employee's consent.

• Employers should provide feedback to the employee on any issues raised during the stay interview and take appropriate action to address any concerns or suggestions identified.

• Employers should keep records of the stay interview, including any feedback or concerns raised by the employee, and use this information to improve their employment practices and address any issues within the organisation.