FAQs on Stay Interviews
Should all employees be targeted for stay interviews, or just certain employees?
My own philosophy is that a Stay Interview should be done for any person who, if they came to you and said “I’m out of here,” you’d lose sleep over. Not just your high flyers, but your massive middle as well. Too many organizations put all their eggs in the high-potential basket and forget they need the solid citizens to support the hi-pos. So these should target anybody precious to you that you don’t want to lose. If a manager is terribly pressed for time, you might want to think about who’s most at-risk, who you couldn’t afford to lose and maybe start there.
Who should conduct stay interviews, managers or HR?
I met with three different HR leaders who were doing stay interviews, and they all said they conducted them as HR leaders and then met with managers to tell them what they learned and coach them on the follow-up. I was surprised, because the workshops we do are geared towards helping managers do stay interviews directly with their teams. So I hadn’t given much thought to HR being the one to do them, but it certainly could be HR and managers both. HR shouldn’t take it off the backs of managers, but if HR wants to test the idea and see what they learn then that’s great!
How do stay interviews effect new hires in the workplace?
If no one asks a new hire if the job they accepted meets their expectations, then it should be no surprise when resignations are submitted. Re-recruiting has become as important as recruiting. And, it should start the moment the new hire says “yes!”
If talent is scarce, and it is, and if recruiting and on boarding costs are high, and they are, attention to new hires makes dollars and sense! Stay interviews can be done by the recruiter, the manager, a team of recruiter and hiring manager, or by an HR professional.
What are some common questions that every stay interview should include?
Every stay interview should include a prelude:
Here’s why I wanted to talk to you…
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about…
Here is why I’m doing this…
I haven’t done this before so please bear with me…
Then ask maybe just one or two questions and listen hard to the answer and ask more questions based on that:
Is the job turning out to be what you thought it would be? How so?
Are your skills being used? Recognized?
What is exciting about your work? What seems boring or unnecessary?
What will keep you here? What might entice you away?
What else matters to you that I have not asked?
FAQs on Talent Retention
Where do managers most commonly “blow it” around engagement?
Attitude! The worst attitude is, “We can replace talent. There are plenty more out there.” This quickly translates to “I don’t care if you go or stay.” When excellent people leave, we’ve heard managers say, “He wasn’t that good anyway,” or “Oh, well, we can easily replace her.” And the trouble begins. Not only is that not true, but it sends the wrong message to everyone else. The “dime a dozen” attitude has a serious effect on the rest of the team.
Why is it so important for organizations to take a serious look at retention?
It’s a matter of survival. If they don’t and if talent walks out the door, they are not going to survive. As companies become more and more technologically equal, their talent is going to become the key differentiator. That talent comes in all shapes and sizes and is located at all levels in their organization. Don’t just look at your leaders with a capital L. Look at you leaders with a small L as well.
What does “hiring” have to do with retention?
“Get the right people in the door in the first place and you increase the odds of keeping them.” Fit is it. When you bring somebody in, are you thinking about how they will mesh with the team that’s already there? If you bring somebody in who is going to kick up dust with the team, that doesn’t work either for anybody. It is at the recruiting interview that managers should ask what would keep you and what would entice you away. It would be great data.
Does talent retention go awry because HR is too focused on their own systems?
That is one reason. HR might think the system is all we need and the system alone will drive the behavior. Structures and systems do drive behavior but not alone. If the manager isn’t supportive, if you don’t have the high touch, talent retention isn’t going to work as well as it could.
Managers need to know that loving your talent doesn’t mean hand-holding. It doesn’t mean doing someone’s work for them. It means providing support. Managers can offer that support in low cost or no cost ways.
FAQs on Career Development
Will I set false expectations if I talk to employees about their career?
Talking to employees about their careers will actually set realistic expectations about the type of opportunities available in the organization and demonstrate your interest in their growth and job satisfaction. As a leader, you can:
Provide additional information about potential opportunities or link them to other support resources available to them.
Provide feedback on the steps necessary to achieve career goals.
Help set realistic action plans to achieve goals.
Reinforce that “up” is not the only way (i.e. achieving certain milestones does not mean you will receive a promotion)
Identify enrichment opportunities that will enable “on-the-job” development in their area of interest.
There is not enough time in the day to talk with each of the employees on my team about their career. What can I do?
Talking to employees about their career does take time and may seem like a tough assignment. However, the better you get at building these discussions into routine conversations, the less time it will take and less it will be viewed as an extra assignment for you. You may want to start with the employees that have expressed concern and/or interest about their career, or an individual that shows signs of becoming disengaged from their work. Prioritize and take one step at a time. Your efforts will pay off in terms of productivity and retention.
It seems that employees always set goals that require upward mobility. What else should they be looking at?
Growth within an organization does not always have to mean promotions and upward mobility. It’s important to discuss a variety of possibiliites with your employees and encourage them to expand their options. Have them think about:
Lateral (moving across) involves a change in job, but not necessarily a change in the level of responsibility.
Enrichment (growing in place) suggests that the current job can be fertile ground for growth and learning.
Vertical (moving up) describes the traditional way to move - up. However “up” is in short supply in most organizations.
Exploratory (investigating possibilities) requires gathering information to make a wise career choice.
Everyone tells me that they want a promotion! What do I say to them?
Many people are interested in other options besides promotion. In fact, a very high percentage of people are interested int eh job they are currently doing, but want opportunities to continue to grow, be excited and challenged within the scope of the work.
Your job is to help identify enrichment opportunities that will provide the growth, excitement and challenge.