Don’t gooooo 😢100+ Stay Interview Questions

What is a stay interview?

A stay interview is a proactive and ongoing process to show employees they matter and that you care about their future at the company. The purpose of a stay interview is to determine if the employee is satisfied and happy with their job, where they see themselves in the company and if they have any concerns about their work environment.

The stay interview helps you ensure that employees are satisfied with what you can provide them, so they feel good about staying. It’s a way to show each individual how important they are as an employee and person, not just showing appreciation during conferences or holiday parties by giving out gift cards and chocolates. It lets people know that they’re valued on a more personal level.

How do stay interviews differ from exit interviews?

Exit interviews are also important; however, stay interviews serve to identify what needs to change (and what needs to remain the same) in order for them to continue working with your organization. It’s like an impromptu check-in!

Who should participate in stay interviews? Anyone who interacts with your employees on a regular basis: managers, peers, mentors, etc.

Why is it so important for employees to know they’re appreciated and wanted? 50% of people leave their jobs because of their relationship with their boss. Showing your employees that you care can help immensely towards motivating

Holding a successful stay interview:

1) Hire great people who fit your company culture! A stay interview won’t wipe away all problems with an attitude problem or bad hire – it will only highlight these issues.

2) Take notes during the stay interview.

3) … And then actually implement what you’ve noted!

4) Don’t forget to schedule stay interviews with each employee. This is very important; if you hold them infrequently (or worse, not at all), employees will no longer see them as valuable and they’ll be less likely to bring up any problems in the future.

5) Follow through! Action is everything when it comes to ensuring employee satisfaction – simply talking about ideas isn’t enough; your actions need to prove that you’re attempting to make things better, even if it takes time before anything changes for the better.

100+ different questions to ask during a stay interview

There are millions of ways to ask the same question. When conducting a stay interview, authenticity is key. If your questions sound robotic, chances are, employees won’t feel comfortable in revealing their true feelings. So, here are 100+ questions that you can ask during a stay interview, to really get to the truth of if your employees want to stay!

1. How is your work going?
2. How do you feel in your team?
3. Are there any problems that come to mind when thinking of your role in the company’s overall structure or environment?
4. What is your favorite thing about working here?
5. Do you like what we represent as an organization and our goals and vision?
6. When do you feel most engaged at work?
7. What do you think I or managers can improve on dealing with employees?
8. Describe one of the best workplace cultures that you’ve experienced. What made it great?
9. How would your coworkers describe your work ethic and attitude towards work?
10. Are there any problems that come to mind when thinking of your role in the company’s overall structure or environment?
11. What is your biggest goal in your career right now?
12. What steps do you need to take in order to achieve this?
13. Would you change anything if given the chance to repeat the past year at work again? If so, what would that be and why?
14. How is your manager doing when it comes to managing you and helping you grow within our organization?
15. Is there anything I can do better when it comes to managing employees like yourself?
16. What motivates you to come in and give it your best every day?
17. What frustrates you about working here?
18. If I asked your previous manager what they think you needed to improve on, what would they say?
19. Is there anything that we as an organization can do to better support the work that you’re doing for us? If so, what is it and how could we go about making those improvements happen?
20. On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is very satisfied and 1 is not at all satisfied, how satisfied are you with each of these: salary, benefits, hours worked.
21. Do you feel like we provide ample opportunities for professional development and growth within our company culture?
22. How satisfied are you with your work?
23. What do you like most and least about our organization as a whole?
24. If an opportunity opened up at this company for someone doing what you’re doing now, would you apply? If not, why? If their job is different than yours, then why wouldn’t you consider applying for that position?
25. Who besides your managers here knows what kind of effort or results you have produced recently? How do they know this information?
26. Do you feel like the work that you do has any impact on our organization? If so, what are some examples of what that looks like?
27. Is there anything about your role or responsibilities that cause anxiety or stress beyond what is normal for similar positions at other companies?
28. How much effort are you putting towards getting promoted right now?
29. If an opportunity opened up at this company for someone doing what you’re doing now, would you apply? If not, why? If their job is different than yours, then why wouldn’t you consider applying for that position?
30. What was one of the biggest personal/professional challenges in the last year and how did you overcome it?
31. When have I done a good enough job that made me feel especially good about what I do?
32. What do you think is the biggest challenge facing our workplace right now?
33. If you could tell your manager anything, what would it be?
34. How does your work connect to those goals and challenges we outlined as a whole for this organization at the beginning of the year (or quarter or whatever time period that was)?
35. On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is very satisfied and 1 is not at all satisfied, how satisfied are you with each of these: salary, benefits, hours worked?
36. What steps do you need to take in order to achieve this goal and become more engaged and productive at work?
37. What has frustrated or disappointed you recently working here?
38. When have I done a good enough job that made me feel especially good about what I do?
39. How many times in the last year has your manager (or someone else) asked you if everything is okay at work?
40. What challenging situations have you had recently and how did you handle them?
41. If we were to ask that person who knows you best outside of work what they think makes you exceptional, what would they say?
42. When was the last time your manager offered proactive advice for you instead of just reacting to something negative or positive that happened to you recently at work? What was it?
43. Who besides your managers here knows what kind of effort or results you have produced recently? How do they know this information?
44. Which employee behaviors will help us achieve our organization’s vision and mission?
45. How well do you think your manager is doing in terms of creating an environment where you can be successful?
46. If an opportunity opened up at this company for someone doing what you’re doing now, would you apply? If not, why? If their job is different than yours, then why wouldn’t you consider applying for that position?
47. What has frustrated or disappointed you recently working here?
48. When have I done a good enough job that made me feel especially good about what I do?
49. As we’ve rolled out new initiatives throughout the year (or quarter or whatever time period that was), which one of these seems to resonate most strongly with employees yourself and why do you think that is the case?
50. How much effort are you putting towards getting promoted right now?
51. What was one of the biggest personal/professional challenges in the last year and how did you overcome it?
52. How does your work connect to those goals and challenges we outlined as a whole for this organization at the beginning of the year (or quarter or whatever time period that was)?
53. If an opportunity opened up at this company for someone doing what you’re doing now, would you apply? If not, why? If their job is different than yours, then why wouldn’t you consider applying for that position?
54. Is there anything about your role or responsibilities that cause anxiety or stress beyond what is normal for similar positions at other companies?
55. If someone were to ask your last manager what you’re especially good at doing, what do you think they would say?
56. What steps do you need to take in order to achieve this goal and become more engaged and productive at work?
57. When was the last time your manager offered proactive advice for you instead of just reacting to something negative or positive that happened to you recently at work? What was it?
58. Who besides your managers here knows what kind of effort or results you have produced recently? How do they know this information?
59. Do you have any questions for me?
60. What are the most common reasons people leave this company?
61. Who besides your managers here knows what kind of effort or results you have produced recently? How do they know this information?
62. When was the last time your manager offered proactive advice for you instead of just reacting to something negative or positive that happened to you recently at work? What was it?
63. If we were to ask that person who knows you best outside of work what they think makes you exceptional, what would they say?
64. How well do you think your manager is doing in terms of creating an environment where you can be successful?
65. What have I done recently to demonstrate my interest in the organization’s goals and values?
66. Which employee behaviors will help us achieve our organization’s vision and mission?
67. What has frustrated or disappointed you recently about your work?
68. When was the last time your manager offered proactive advice for you instead of just reacting to something negative or positive that happened to you recently at work? What was it?
69. Does your work make you happy?
70. Are you able to switch off after work?
71. Do you feel included in your team?
72. Would you rather have a $20 bonus right now or receive a 5% raise six months from now instead? Why?
73. What about this organization makes you keen to continue your employment with us?
74. When was the last time you felt really excited and happy about coming to work every day?
75. Does your work make you happy?
76. How well do you think your manager is doing in terms of creating an environment where you can be successful?
77. What do you like about your manager?
78. What do you like about the organization?
79. Who else gets to work on projects with you besides your managers here? What are those projects and how does it help you be successful in your role here?
80. When was the last time I helped you achieve something that will have a positive impact on your future here at this company/organization?
81. Which employee behaviors will help us achieve our organization’s vision and mission?
82. What challenges or problems are typically involved when doing what I do every day (or whatever task they’ve been assigned to)?
83. Do you feel included in the company?
84. Do you feel your salary accurately reflects the work you do here?
85. How do you feel about career progression at this company?
86. What do you like about what I do?
87. How likely are you to recommend this company as a good place to work to your friends and family?
88. Which employee behaviors will help us achieve our organization’s vision and mission?
89. Why would someone hire you over the other people who have applied for this role?
90. Are there any circumstances under which you would voluntarily leave us before your current contract expires, or before we end our engagement with your agency if that happens first?
91. Who else gets to work on projects with you besides your managers here? What are those projects and how does it help you be successful in your role here?
92. What kind of tasks would need to be present for this job not to be interesting/engaging for you?
93. Is what we offer rewarding enough?
94. What do we need to change so that you feel more engaged and willing to give your best efforts to this company every day?
95. How likely are you to recommend this company as a good place to work to your friends and family?
96. When was the last time I helped you achieve something that will have a positive impact on your future here at this company/organization?
97. What has frustrated or disappointed you recently about your work here at [company name]?
98. Do you think there is a disconnect between what management expects from us and what they reward us for doing?
99. Have I made it clear what success looks like in my role, the goals of the department, and the organization as a whole?
100. Do you intend to stay here?

Final thoughts on stay interviews and stay interview questions

There you have it! 100+ questions to ask during your next round of stay interviews. Just remember a stay interview is not a time to badger your employees. This is an opportunity for you and them to benefit from each other’s experience, wisdom, and perception. Asking questions like stay interview questions can help understand their values better and how they work in the company not only that but it also helps you know what motivates them to do what they do. It’s also important because these questions will allow you to find out if there are any issues in the organization or in the department that may need attention before you plan on letting your individual go.

Do not forget asking stay interview questions won’t solve all your problems we still have to do our best at providing good compensation and benefits, exciting work projects, and happy hours so we could maximize our return on investment.