Insights into the forces shaping our industry.

Retention seems to be a strong focus for most of my clients. The Great Resignation saw more than 47 million Americans voluntarily quit their job in 2021.  The mass exodus was linked to low pay, lack of career opportunities, shifting priorities, and employee burnout (which is fueling Quiet Quitting)  As a result, Exit Interviews and Stay Interviews have become much more important.  Exit interviews are completed before the employee’s final day after they gave their 2 weeks’ notice.  Stay interviews are with your current employees to assess how they are feeling about the company. Below are a few examples of questions to ask in each type of interview.

Exit Interview Questions:

• What prompted you to begin searching for another opportunity?
• Do you feel your manager gave you what you needed to succeed?
• What did you like best?
• What did you like least about your job?
• Do you think your job has changed since you were hired?
• Did you feel your achievements were recognized throughout your employment?
• Do you feel you had necessary training to be successful in your role?
• What can we improve on?
• Did you share any of the concerns we discussed today with the company or your manager before deciding to leave?

Stay Interview Questions:

• Which aspects of your job make you eager to come to work each day? Which aspects do you not look forward to?
• How well do you believe your talents are being utilized? What skills do you possess that you feel aren’t being utilized?
• What are your career aspirations? How are we doing in helping you accomplish them here?
• Have you ever thought about leaving the company? If so, what caused you to consider leaving? Why did you decide to stay?
• What are the biggest challenges you face?
• Is there anything you’d like to change about your job?
• Are there things you would like to change about your team or department?

According to Gartner Consulting, the pace of employee turnover is forecasted to be 50-75% higher than companies have experienced previously and the issue is compounded by hiring taking 18% longer than before the pandemic.   You need to evaluate your company and drive strategies that will help keep and attract new employees.