Best Stay Interview Questions in 2025
Are you looking for the best stay interview questions? We are here to help you.
Recruiting new employees and job seekers is a challenging pursuit that can take considerable time and resources. However, the thing that is even more challenging for employers is retaining them. With the increasing turnover rate in the workforce, it has become more important than ever for companies to focus on retention strategies. One way to do this is through stay interviews.
The stay interview is a proven strategy for retaining employees. It allows you to identify why employees are considering leaving their current jobs and then address those concerns with constructive solutions in their exit interviews.
The stay interview program is a great way to get feedback and input from your employees on improving the workplace so they feel appreciated and engaged. It’s also a way to show your employees that you care about them and their happiness.
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Best Stay Interview Questions 2025
Once you have scheduled a stay interview with an employee, it’s time to think about the questions that you’ll ask. The following are some of the best questions you can use during a stay interview to receive direct reports from your workers:
1. What is your favorite part about working here?
This question allows the employee to share something positive about their job and highlights what they like about working for your company. The answers to this question can provide insight into your employee’s job satisfaction. It also helps you identify what working areas are most appealing to employees. It will help managers understand the dream job of an employee.
2. What do you think we could do better?
Nothing is perfect. Even the most well-run company has room for improvement. It’s important for employers to find out what those issues are so you can identify ways to make your business better and more appealing than that of your competitors. So during a stay interview, ask this question about any problems that employees might face in their job or with working at your company.
It’s a great opportunity for you to find out how your company is better, both from the employee’s perspective and yours. Asking this question helps employees feel like they hear and value them, which is an important aspect of retaining employees. It will also provide actionable feedback on what changes you should make to keep your employees satisfied.
3. What do you like least about working here?
This question is important to ask so you can address any potential issues. The answer to this question is to give you an idea of what makes your employees unhappy or what they find challenging about their job.
It will help you identify the pain points of your organization. If any areas of concern come up during the stay interview, make a note of them and address the issue as fast as possible. If it’s something that you cannot fix, there will be a larger problem at hand with your company culture or management strategy that you should address fast.
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4. Have you ever thought of leaving the company?
Stay as polite and friendly as you can while asking this stay interview question so the employee feels comfortable opening up. If an employee has ever considered finding a new job in some other company, it’s important to find out why and address the problem as soon as possible.
The answer to this question can help you determine if any factors are causing employees to consider leaving your business. It is specific, such as a lack of advancement opportunities or dissatisfaction with their workload. Also, it is something more general, such as company culture or management.
5. Do you enjoy your work?
This question allows you to gauge the employee’s level of engagement. If they answer no, you need to find out why and determine if there’s anything that you can do to improve your company’s engagement strategy. If employees don’t enjoy their work, it reduces the quality of work and their overall motivation to remain at the company. It also increases the chances of leaving the company in the future.
You need to make sure you’re doing everything possible to keep employees engaged in their work. It includes offering challenging and interesting work, recognizing employee accomplishments, and providing opportunities for growth and professional development.
6. Which thing makes your job more satisfying?
The employee satisfaction level contributes to whether or not they will leave the company. This stay interview question can help you identify what employees value most in their jobs and whether or not your company is providing all those things. It also helps you identify what areas of the company are most appealing to employees.
The answer to this question will enable you to focus on the most important areas to employees and make sure you’re meeting their needs. You might also find out what changes or improvements you must make for employees to feel more satisfied with their job.
7. Are you getting clear goals?
This question will help you determine if employees feel like they are part of the company’s overall plan. Employees need to feel like their work contributes to the company’s goals and they have a clear path for advancement. If employees don’t feel like they’re on track or that their job has no purpose, it can lead to them feeling unengaged at work.
If there are any issues with goal clarity, clear the confusion about your goals and employees’ expectations for their performance. If something isn’t working out, help them find other areas of the company where they can become more successful and productive.
8. Do your supervisors recognize your efforts?
Employees need to feel like you recognize them for their efforts. You must recognize employee accomplishments and promote a culture of recognition among your team members. If employees don’t feel appreciated, it can lead them to feel disengaged at work, which leads to increased turnover rates in the company.
This question will help you determine if employees feel like they can contribute their ideas and suggestions. Those who feel valued feel more engaged at work. If employees don’t feel like they can contribute, it can lead to them feeling unimportant or undervalued.
9. Is there anything in our organization that you want to change?
This question will help you determine if employees feel like they have a voice in the company. If employees don’t feel like their opinions matter, it can lead to them feeling disenfranchised from the company.
It, in turn, can cause them to become less engaged in their work and then leave the company altogether. If there are any areas where your staff members feel they need change, you need to make sure you’re listening to them and taking their suggestions into account.
10. Do you have opportunities for continued learning?
Learning and developmental opportunities are essential for employee productivity. Your high performers will feel engaged in their work if they have opportunities for development and growth. If employees don’t see the growth potential, it can lead them to feel uninterested in their jobs and then leave the company.
You need to make sure that you’re providing opportunities to help each staff member develop the skills he or she needs for their current role. Employees want to feel like they are improving and developing their skills.
11. Do you feel you are well-equipped to accomplish your tasks?
Tools and equipment are important to productivity. Also, you must provide employees with the latest technology and advanced tools. If they don’t feel like they have the proper equipment or tools needed for their current position, it can create a lack of motivation because they will believe that what they’re doing has value to the company.
Employers need to understand the equipment requirements of their company. If there are any areas where employees feel they don’t have enough tools or equipment, you need to address it as soon as possible so it doesn’t cause them to become disengaged at work.
12. How would you like to be recognized?
Recognizing employees in ways they like is a great way to build employee engagement. One of the best ways to recognize employees for their efforts or contributions is by appreciating them in public and in private. You must take time out each day to show your appreciation for your team members’ hard work, whether through written notes or public recognition at meetings with other employees.
This question will help you determine how employees would like to be acknowledged for their work. Some employees prefer verbal recognition, while others appreciate a gift card or bonus. If employees don’t feel like you recognize them in the way that they prefer, it can lead to them feeling unappreciated and disgruntled at work. It can also hamper their career growth.
Final Remarks
Stay interviews are crucial to know what employees think about the environment they work in and how you can improve them. Unlike an exit interview, you can conduct a stay interview at any time during the employment relationship.
But it’s a good idea to conduct it as part of your employee engagement strategies and talent management program. Some businesses prefer to carry out stay interviews on an annual basis to understand the employees’ work-life balance, whereas others require them every six months.
FAQs
Here are answers to some of your most asked questions regarding stay interviews:
What is the stay interview?
The stay interview is a short, informal conversation between an employee and a company manager or HR representative. The goal of the stay interview is to find out what makes employees stay within your company and identify any potential issues that might lead them to leave. This type of meeting aims to gauge employee satisfaction and get an annual review of what the company can do to improve things.
The conversation should focus on current issues, such as the employee’s lack of advancement, dissatisfaction with their current workload, or any problems they’re facing at work. It’s important to remember that the stay interviews are not performance reviews, so avoid bringing up past issues or discussing the employee’s work history.
What is the goal of a stay interview?
Asking stay interview questions can bring you numerous benefits. The reasons you must conduct stay interviews with your current employees include staying in touch, which helps you understand the problems they’re facing in their work and know what kind of support or training will help them improve their workplace performance and improve the company, which allows you to find out what makes your employees happy at work and how you can improve those areas and help them feel like their job has more meaning, leading to increased productivity.
Another reason is getting constructive feedback. Interview questions provide valuable employee feedback, which helps the company make improvements. It allows you to understand what employees like and don’t like about their work to better address any issues.
How to use stay interview data?
After collecting data based on the stay interview template, leaders follow up with their employees on their feedback during the one-on-one check-ins to find out if there are any improvements made throughout the year. In addition, supervisors collect stay interview data from a particular employee to use to make a significant impact on the workforce.
What is another term for a stay interview?
We call stay interviews pre-exit interviews also, as they help an employer brand understand the employee experience with the company. It helps identify any threats to their lasting tenure with the organization and resolve them effectively.
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