High employee turnover is expensive – but it’s also avoidable.
Most companies wait until it’s too late to ask how someone’s really feeling at work.
By the time you’re doing an exit interview, the damage is already done.
Stay interviews turn that approach on its head.
They’re simple, honest conversations that help you understand what keeps your people around, and what might be nudging them toward the door.
It’s a time to talk, listen, and act before problems build up.
Done regularly, stay interviews help you build stronger relationships, spot red flags early, and keep your best people happy and engaged.
You don’t have to guess why people might leave – just ask why they stay. 
A stay interview is a one-on-one conversation between a manager and an employee that focuses on what keeps them in their job, and what might cause them to leave.
The goal is to understand what your employees value, identify potential issues early, and improve retention by acting on their feedback.
Stay interviews are highly effective when done right.
They show employees that their opinions matter, help build trust and gives managers valuable insight into what’s working and what’s not. The key is to follow-up with real action based on what you hear.
Stay interviews are usually conducted by the employee’s direct manager, or someone they trust.
This helps build stronger working relationships and ensures the conversation feels personal and relevant. In some cases, a neutral HR person may step in, especially if trust needs to be built.
The best stay interview questions focus on what employees enjoy about their role, what could be improved, and what might cause them to consider leaving.
A few examples:
– What do you enjoy most about your job?
– Is there anything you’d change about your day-to-day work?
– Have you ever thought about leaving? What made you feel that way?
Ideally, stay interviews should happen once or twice a year, before there’s any sign of disengagement or turnover.
Stay interviews work best when they’re part of an ongoing commitment to creating open and honest culture at work, not just a one-off meeting.
A stay interview happens while the employee is still working with you, with the goal of keeping them engaged and supported.
An exit interview takes place when someone is leaving, often too late to make any meaningful changes for that individual.
Stay interviews help you be proactive, not reactive.
A stay interview is a one-to-one meeting between a manager and an employee to discuss what’s going well, what could be better, and what might be influencing them to leave their job.
Unlike exit interviews (which are often too little, too late), stay interviews are proactive.
They give people a safe space to talk about what matters before any problems escalate.
They’re not about performance or goals – they’re about actively listening.
The reality is, right now, workplaces are under pressure.
Burnout is on the rise. Budgets are tight. And employees are questioning what they really want from work.
In this climate, retention is mission critical.
Stay interviews offer a low-cost, high-impact way to boost morale and prevent good people from walking out the door.
Because when people feel heard and understood, they’re far more likely to stick around.
Managers are burning out, employees are disengaging, and traditional performance reviews just don’t cut it anymore. Stay interviews are an antidote to all three.
Stay interviews should feel relaxed, and not like a formal review. Here’s how to get the best out of them:
The employee’s manager is usually the best choice because they know the context and can build trust.
Make it a casual chat, not an interrogation. A coffee and a conversation can work wonders.
Create space for the employee to open up without fear of judgement.
This is the most important step. Show you listened by taking real action.
Even well-meaning managers can get stay interviews wrong sometimes – it’s a sensitive thing to discuss! Here are some common mistakes to avoid:
This isn’t about targets, it’s about feelings.
Nothing kills trust faster than asking for input and ignoring it.
The more relaxed and natural the conversation feels, the more honest the answers will be.
One-off interviews won’t drive real change. Stay interviews should be part of your engagement strategy, not an isolated event.
The best stay interview questions focus on what employees enjoy about their role, what could be improved, and what might cause them to consider leaving.
Stay interviews are brilliant, but they’re not always enough on their own.
Some employees might not feel comfortable sharing certain concerns face-to-face.
That’s where Stribe comes in.
Our anonymous employee survey platform gives your people a safe space to speak up. You can:
By combining personal conversations with anonymous feedback, you’ll get the full picture and the confidence to take meaningful action.
If you’re waiting until someone’s already halfway out the door, it’s too late.
Stay interviews give you the chance to understand what makes your people feel good about their job, and what could be pushing them away.
They don’t need to be complicated. Just start the conversation. Listen carefully. And act on what you learn.
About the author
Starting out her early career as a journalist, Jade Madeley is an accomplished content writer with 8+ years’ experience across business, personal finance, SaaS, human resources and employee engagement. Working with Stribe, she crafts insightful content that brings complex HR topics to life and drives meaningful action.
