45 Perfect Stay Interview Questions – 2024 – Free Template

The entire discussion surrounding stay interviews and stay interview questions quite possibly might have stemmed from the simple question: Do we start taking people for granted when they’ve been around for too long?

Organizations, obviously, interview employees as they are being recruited and exit interviews have gained more and more prominence over the years as employees leave. The reasoning is quite simple. There is a lot to learn from entrances and exits.

What about those employees who stay? Aren’t there any takeaways from employees simply staying? The answer is a resounding yes!

Interviewing employees who have been with the organization for a certain period of time and asking the right stay interview questions to them is an amazing course of action that should be a routine process that any organization would benefit from immensely.

So it is a good thing that they are gaining in popularity. There are however many questions surrounding the topic like: What is a stay interview? Which stay interview questions to ask? How to answer stay interview questions?

Now that employee retention is turning into more of a challenge with each passing year and quiet quitting trending worldwide, stay interviews are slowly becoming a staple of workplaces around the world, we took the liberty to highlight some of the best possible stay interview questions you can ask your employees. Enjoy!

👇You will find a FREE Downloadable Stay Interview Template below 👇 

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What Are Stay Interviews?

One might easily assume that a stay interview is a one-on-one through which a company attempts to convince an employee to stay. Nobody could blame for that assumption, but they would still be wrong.

A stay interview is more along the lines of a casual discussion with an employee who has stayed with the company for a certain amount of time, in order to understand what has led to them staying on.

They are a great way to identify the functioning parts of your company culture and highlight aspects of it that could use some improvement.

The data gathered through stay interviews could and should be used to do more of what is working and mitigate what your employees feel needs improvement.

Benefits & Challenges Of Conducting Stay Interviews

A stay interview isn’t like an exit interview where employees feel a certain amount of freedom to speak their minds honestly.

After the stay interview, the employee will still be working in the organization. That is why they might feel a little hesitant about speaking their mind to the fullest while answering stay interview questions.

Employees should answer stay interview questions honestly, without worrying about what their answers might lead to. This is why it is crucial that there is strong trust between the interviewer and the interviewee. If that isn’t the case, the answers will have a strong possibility of being superficial or misleading.

A core benefit of stay interviews is the fact that they are what you should do, in order to prevent exit interviews. They help organizations identify and fix the issues that eventually lead them to conduct exit interviews. Moreover, they are an incredible tool for employee recognition and employee engagement.

Stay interviews help greatly with visibility issues, letting employees know that their loyalty and hard work aren’t going unnoticed or underappreciated.

How to Conduct Stay Interviews?

With all the benefits of stay interviews, it is important to remember why you are conducting them. The main purpose of asking stay interview questions is to gather data on why an employee has stayed with a company for as long as they did. That is why the way you are conducting your interviews is helpful in the data collection process.

Using performance management software with helpful and customizable review modules could be the answer. If you choose to conduct your stay interviews through one-on-one meetings, then you should make sure that the software you are using has a functional and private meeting notes section.

You could also use a customized review template and have employees fill out the stay interview, mixing in multiple-choice questions with open-ended ones, in order to gather data that could be measurable through reports.

You can check out our article on the best performance management software of 2023 to help you out with that!

That being said, if your organization uses Microsoft Teams on a daily basis, the best tool for you would be…

Teamflect

Teamflect is the single best employee engagement survey software / all-in-one performance management solution for Microsoft Teams. With complete Microsoft Teams integration, Teamflect lets users automate surveys, reviews, meetings, tasks, and so much more with ease!

With Teamflect’s customizable review, survey, and feedback templates, you can make sure your employees are engaged, conduct onboarding, stay, exit, and other types of surveys easily, and have an even easier time analyzing the results!

Do we really need to sell you on stay interviews any further? Let us stop beating around the bush and go right in on the 45 best stay interview questions you should definitely be asking.

45 Sample Stay Interview Questions

1. As you come to work each day, what do you look forward to?

The answers to this question will more than likely vary among employees. To some it could be the watercooler conversations, to others it could be the fun office rituals they’ve established with their fellow colleagues. It could even be the incredible bagel shop they drive past every morning.

The true meat and bones of this question rest in data gathered in bulk. As this question is posed to more employees, you should be able to identify trends and focus on them more heavier than you’ve done before.

2. What has led to your continued stay here?

There is nothing wrong with being direct and asking the obvious stay interview questions. We are certain that your directness will be appreciated. If the trust between you and your employee is strong enough, you could even come to realize that their extended stay with your company was purely circumstantial.

This question could lead to some much-welcome praise from the interviewee or some much-needed hard truths. Once again, it is all about spotting recurring themes.

3. What makes it difficult for you to get out of bed and come to work?

Speaking of hard truths, nobody said anything about stay interviews being all sunshine and rainbows. Questions like these are how stay interviews end up preventing exit interviews. Every employee could have their own personal reasons for simply not wanting to come to work.

With the risk of sounding a bit too repetitive, this is a question where watching out for trends is an absolute must. If you start noticing recurring answers to this question, then it might be time to set a course of action to eliminate the issue once and for all.

4. How could your experience here be even more satisfying? 

In its purest form, stay interview questions should aim to gain data on three levels. What are we doing right? What are we doing wrong? What can we improve upon? This question falls under the third category and is also a permanent fixture in exit interviews as well.

This is an area where trends are less important. We’re not saying that you shouldn’t watch out for them here, but they are not the main criteria in evaluating the answers to this very question.

One can never truly anticipate when and where a great suggestion is going to make its way to them. That is why managers should pay very close attention to what their employees are suggesting in this line of questioning.

5. Have you ever thought about leaving this organization? When?

This question is a two-parter that we are certain could cause some alarm bells to ring. Answering this question could be difficult for some employees. However, if the trust is there, this could result in some valuable insight.

The right candidate for a stay interview is more likely to be a top-performing employee who has been in the organization for a very long time. That is why by identifying their reasons for considering a departure not only does the company retain them, but also gains the opportunity to retain other members of the existing staff.

Other Possible Stay Interview Questions

The methodology behind stay interview questions is quite simple to follow. What should be kept in mind is that the questions you ask should reflect your company’s values.

Now that we’ve provided you with some of the more generalistic stay interview questions and the reasoning behind them, lets take a deeper dive into the discussion of stay interviews.

6-15 Rewards & Recognition

If there is a central theme to stay interview templates, that theme has to be mutual appreciation. The employee must be appreciating the organization since they have chosen to remain there and the organization should be showing their appreciation to the employee for staying, especially in today’s world where employee turnover rates are so high and frequent industry hopping and quiet quitting are real things.

Employee recognition is a key part of that appreciation. These questions are designed to gauge the efficiency of the employee recognition systems within your organization.

• How do you feel valued for your contributions and accomplishments at our company?

• Can you share a specific instance when you felt genuinely appreciated for your work here?

• What kinds of gestures or actions make you feel recognized and motivated in your role?

• Are there any specific ways you would like to be acknowledged for your efforts that haven’t been implemented yet?

• In your opinion, what are the most effective ways for our organization to show appreciation to its employees?

• Have you noticed any colleagues who have been exceptionally recognized for their work? What do you think made their recognition impactful?

• How do you believe our current rewards system aligns with the contributions and performance of employees?

• Can you think of any innovative ideas or approaches to reward and recognize employees that you believe would be well-received?

• Are there any areas within the company where you believe recognition is lacking or could be improved?

• Do you feel that your compensation and benefits package reflects the value you bring to the organization? If not, what changes would you suggest?

16 – 25 Career Development Opportunities

Just because an employee has elected to stay in your organization, doesn’t mean they will continue to do so in the future. In order to ensure long-term employee retention, your organization must be a place where your employees see the potential for growth and advancement.

What is the best way to show your employees that potential? As Walt Whitman once said: “Be curious.”. Asking your employees questions on how they would like to advance their careers or what kind of training and workshops they would be interested in is a great way to show that you are indeed, curious.

• What are your long-term career goals, and how do you see your current role aligning with those goals?

• Have you had the opportunity to engage in any meaningful career development activities or training since joining our company?

• Are there any specific skills or areas of expertise that you would like to further develop in your current role?

• Do you feel that there are clear paths for advancement and growth within our organization?

• Are there any specific projects or responsibilities that you would like to take on to enhance your professional development?

• How satisfied are you with the feedback and guidance you receive from your manager regarding your career development?

• Are there any additional training or educational resources you believe would be beneficial for your career growth?

• Do you feel supported in exploring new roles or career opportunities within our company?

• Are there any mentorship or coaching opportunities you would be interested in pursuing to further your career?

• How can our organization better support your career development and help you achieve your professional goals?

26 – 35 The Workplace Atmosphere

Receiving feedback on what works and what doesn’t in your organization is an incredibly important part of stay interviews. One aspect of every workplace that could always use some improvement is the workplace atmosphere.

As team sizes grow, new members join in, and the atmosphere evolves. Asking the right stay interview questions on your workplace ecosystem can help you shape it for the better.

• How would you describe the overall atmosphere and culture in our workplace?

• Do you feel that your well-being is prioritized and supported by the organization?

• Are there any specific initiatives or programs you appreciate that contribute to a positive work environment and employee well-being?

• How would you rate the level of support and collaboration among your colleagues?

• Can you share an example of a time when a colleague went out of their way to support you or create a positive work environment?

• Are there any employee engagement activities or events that you find particularly valuable or enjoyable?

• What suggestions do you have for improving employee engagement and team-building activities?

• How satisfied are you with the facilities and resources provided to you to perform your work effectively?

• Are there any changes or improvements you would like to see in our workplace facilities?

• Do you feel that there are open channels of communication and feedback to address any concerns related to the workplace atmosphere?

36 – 45 Current Role & Responsibilities

Succession planning should always play a key part in your stay interviews and you can’t plan for the future without getting a clear grasp of the present first.

That is why you should always ask stay interview questions on what your employee is currently doing in your organization, how satisfied they are, how fulfilled they are, the challenges they are facing, and of course, how well they believe they are doing.

• Can you provide an overview of your current role and the key responsibilities that come with it?

• How would you describe a typical day or week in your current role?

• What do you enjoy most about your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities?

• Are there any specific projects or assignments that you find particularly fulfilling or exciting in your current role?

• What are the key challenges or obstacles you face in your day-to-day work?

• Can you identify any aspects of your current role that you find less enjoyable or that you would prefer to delegate to someone else?

• Are there any areas within your current responsibilities where you believe you could benefit from additional support or resources?

• How well do you feel your current role aligns with your skills, interests, and career aspirations?

• Are there any specific changes or improvements you would like to see in your current role or responsibilities?

• If you could make any adjustments to your current role, what would they be and why?

Free PDF Stay Interview Template

While we believe using integrated software to conduct your stay interviews is far more effective, we know that sometimes all you need is a simple piece of paper and a pen to accompany it.

That is why we designed this simple stay interview template for you to download. Stay interviews, as a format, lend themselves best to open-ended questions so this particular template is made up of them.

The Right Time For Conducting A Stay Interview

You shouldn’t conduct your stay interview immediately after an employee starts working at your company. It shouldn’t coincide with your annual review period either.

To get the best outcome out of your stay interviews, your employees should be acclimated to the workplace.

You can conduct a stay interview for each employee once a year. However, stay interviews should not be incorporated as an additional component of performance reviews.

Best Practices of Stay Interviews

Approach Your Employees with Empathy

To yield the best results during your stay interviews, you need to truly understand your employees. And this involves approaching them with empathy.

If you show them that you are trying to understand them rather than asking them a series of overwhelming questions, they may get stressed. To avoid overwhelming your employees, you need to have an understanding tone.

Pick a Comfortable Setting

People tend to open up when they feel more comfortable. So, if you are conducting your interview at the office, right next to other colleagues, the interviewee may feel uncomfortable. For this reason, you can pick a quiet location outside the office, such as a nearby coffee shop or a park.

Choose a Less Stressful Time

When employees feel stressed about deadlines and their workload, they may not be able to focus on the interview. So, it’s a good idea to talk to your employees about their workload and pick a less stressful time to conduct the interview.

Include a Suggestion Box

People tend to open up when they don’t feel pressured about others’ judgment. So, if you want to get completely honest feedback from your employees, you can also include a suggestion box to your stay interviews.

Conclusion

To receive the best stay interview answers you should ask the perfect questions. For this reason, we provided 45 stay interview questions and a stay interview template.

Explore the power of stay interviews using our comprehensive stay interview questions and downloadable template. For a seamless and efficient process, use Teamflect, an all-in-one performance management solution.

Schedule a demo today and transform the way you approach employee engagement and development!