The Stay Interview: A Manager's Guide to Keeping the Best and Brightest

by Richard P. Finnegan

It's the worst sort of surprise: A valued and seemingly happy employee gives his notice. Can you do anything at this point? Probably not. Could you have anticipated the departure and tried to prevent it? Absolutely. That's where this book comes in.

This practical guide introduces managers to a powerful new engagement and retention tool: the stay interview. Smart companies have begun conducting these periodic reviews in order to discover why their important talent might leave and to solve any problems before they actually quit.

Written by the retention expert who pioneered the process, The Stay Interview shows managers how to:

• Prepare for the meeting
• Anticipate an employee's top issues
• Set realistic expectations from the start
• Respond to difficult questions
• Listen effectively and dig deeper
• Craft a detailed and effective stay plan complete with timeline
• Assess each employee's level of engagement, predict potential exits, and communicate results to upper management

Complete with the five best questions to ask and sample scripts for different situations, The Stay Interview is the key to a more engaged . . . and much more productive team.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Business Leadership

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2015

Reviews

[liv · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the worst HR book I’ve read, but did I get excited about picking it up? No. Will I recommend to my friends? No. Did I learn things? Yes.

[Laela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read most of this material in other formats. I don't think it is ground breaking, but it is nice to have all this information in one space.

[Agnė Danaitė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kodėl darbuotojai išeina iš darbo ir ką jie sako per exit interviu? Ką mes vėliau darome ar turėtume daryti su šia informacija? Knygoje pasaulinis darbuotojų kaitos mažinimo ekspertas Richard P. Finnegan dalinasi įžvalgomis, ko iš tiesų nori darbuotojai ir kokių veiksmų galima imtis, norint mažinti darbuotojų kaitą.

Akivaizdu, kad ryšys tarp vadovo ir darbuotojo yra kaitos mažinimo ir įsitraukimo didinimo alfa ir omega. Stay interview – asmeninis, atviras ir abipusiu pasitikėjimu grįstas susitikimas tarp tiesioginio vadovo (ne HR) ir darbuotojo, užduodant 5 klausimus.

# Kai vyksti į darbą kiekvieną rytą (dabar vertėtų klausti, kai ryte eini dirbti prie kompiuterio namuose😊), ko labiausiai lauki?

# Ko išmoksti darbe?

# Kokios yra pagrindinės priežastys, dėl kurių tu lieki šiame darbe?

# Kada paskutinį kartą svarstei apie išėjimą iš darbo? Kas nulėmė tokią tavo savijautą?

# Ką aš, kaip vadovas, galiu padaryti, kad tavo darbas būtų sklandesnis?

Šis pokalbis nėra apie job performance, o apie žmogų ir jo santykį su kitais. Svarbiausia, "listening, taking notes, probing (mantra probe deeply, solve completely)" ir "taking responsibility for company decisions" (as the executives who make these decisions always know things we don’t).

Kaip pasiruošti? Vienas iš geriausių būdų yra paprašyti darbuotojo apibūdinti jo įsivaizduojamo idealaus darbo aplinką. “You have to be open to criticism directed toward anybody, including oneself. Employees have to know in their hearts that they can tell you what they think and you will act on it honorably. Your team will only tell you the truth if they trust you”.

Norintiems ne skaityti, o pasiklausyti interviu su autoriumi (nuo 32 min.): https://bit.ly/3j1KuSh.

Trust is a feeling.

#eikskaityt #vertaskaityti #StayInterview

[Kevin Bracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Direct, to the point message around how to work with your people and create an environment where people want to say. The message and the approach are straight forward. Applying the discipline and consistency to make it happen are hard.

[Michael J Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A valuable resource

This is a valuable tool in trying to retain and motivate employees. It is a clear template for empowering management and employees through understanding the employees needs and addressing their concerns.

[Kim DeNero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buying immediately!

[Maureen Bocka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book. I highly recommend it for anyone who is considering to become a manager.

[SLADE · Rating 4 out of 5]

A close friend and colleague recommended this book to me so the next day I started and finished it. It's short but concise. The concept of the stay interview seems so obvious, yet we as managers, leaders and companies have not seemed to have caught on just yet.

The idea is simple and straight forward. Talk to your people about how they are feeling about their job, their role, the company and what is lacking. It's not a performance review. It's about the employee's feelings and viewpoints and what we can do to help keep them growing and thriving inside of our company.

I would say this book could benefit anyone in a leadership position.

[Library Lost & Found]

Our review of The Stay Interview was originally published on Library Lost & Found.

Do you have a favorite employee? It’s OK to have a favorite. What would you do if that person left your organization for another job? Would you be surprised?

I was talking to a colleague yesterday who was lamenting the departure of a couple of her staff and how sad she was to lose them. Is there anything you can do to avoid a similar fate?

Shortly after our conversation I was doing one of my regular walks around inside my building when I noticed a book on display in our New Books area: The Stay Interview: A Manager’s Guide to Keeping the Best and Brightest by Richard P. Finnegan.

I’d heard of an exit interview but not a stay interview. I was intrigued. The book description explains that a stay interview is a “powerful new engagement and retention tool.” Sure, you’ve been trying to check in with your staff and see how things are going, but are you asking the right questions to determine if your employees are happy with their jobs? Are you and your employees on the same page when it comes to expectations? Could you be assigning more challenging work or perhaps helping your employees prioritize their work better so they’re not feeling so overwhelmed? It’s easy to get busy but these regular check-ins could be the key to avoiding the loss of those staff who are pushing your organization forward.

If you are ready to try this out, please be open to the answers you will hear. Any defensiveness of your part will make this whole process a waste of time. Your job is to listen and understand. If you and your staff person aren’t on the same page then it is time to communicate expectations or use your power to clear roadblocks. Work on a plan together that comes with a timeline. If you have an employee thinking of leaving, there may still be time for you to have a second chance to win them over.

[Tina Panik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The five questions presented that make up the core of a "stay interview" will change the way you listen to your employees, making this essential reading for managers.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read with applicable guide to stay interviews.