“Stay” interviews and exit interviews are a great opportunity to keep your finger on the pulse when it comes to employee retention and engagement; but have you considered using them as a tool to retain current and attract new talent?
Employee engagement and happiness are crucial in retaining talent in your organisation. Giving your team members the opportunity to discuss their points of view in a “stay” interview with key decision makers through a candid, yet confidential platform will reassure them that their experiences and roles matter.
Exit interviews are also a key component of this strategy. Asking employees to partake in an honest interview when they are leaving will highlight areas your organisation is lacking and will help you to understand areas for improvement.
Penny Fletcher highlights the reasons why conducting these interviews are, in fact, a recruitment and attraction tool.
“These may range from hearing about deficiencies in training; staff/managerial issues not brought to HR previously; and, if better wages/growth opportunities/chances for promotion made the other organisation more attractive.
The same logic should apply to employees who are still in your organisation. You should be curious about your existing staff: what they like about the organisation and why they stay. How they view leadership and growth opportunities. If or why they would consider a job or career change in the near future.”
What’s the best approach for these interviews?
There is no right or wrong way to approach these interviews. However, to ensure you achieve the most truthful information, Fletcher argues you need to ensure the employee feels safe to speak openly about their experiences at work.
“The key to success for both ‘stay’ and exit interviews is creating an environment where the employee feels safe to be candid with responses and assured the information will remain confidential. The response shouldn’t lead directly back to the person who said it. The person(s) conducting the interview needs to be a familiar face to the employee. An HR professional who never leaves the office to interact with the line staff is going to have much more difficulty building rapport and trust.”
Giving your current people and leaders the ability to remain in control of the information given to senior team members is also important. Fletcher recommends giving employees the opportunity to take their personal information with them at the conclusion of the conversation. She also recommends keeping any open-ended questions structured.
“My first question always is, ‘What do you like about working here?’ Not only does that set a certain tone for the remainder of the interview, but the responses are great recruiting tools.”
How can these techniques attract new talent?
Understanding your employees’ views about your workplace is essential for your organisation’s internal development. The better your employees feel about their workplace, the better their motivation, engagement and delivery.
These interviews are also the perfect place to obtain testimonials from employees about their working experience. These can be used in your recruitment marketing campaigns to attract the best talent to join your team. It’s important these findings are consistent and authentic.
“If I hear multiple responses about flexible schedules or outstanding coworkers, those phrases can be added to job postings and recruiting flyers.”
Fletcher concludes, “Personal testimonials are becoming a recruiting tool used more and more. While having a conversation with your employees, particularly in those that hold hard-to-fill positions, you may just find your next rock star to give a testimonial for your next job posting or recruiting event.”
Source
‘Stay Interviews’ and ‘Exit Interviews’ Are Recruiting Tools
Penny Fletcher
ERE
Nikita Thorne is an Oxford-based digital marketer and writer. After completing a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Film & Theatre from the University of Reading followed by a six-month internship in marketing, Nikita has been travelling the world.
While temping as a Content Producer at Employment Office in Brisbane, she gained expertise in recruitment marketing, writing articles and coordinating webinars on multiple recruitment marketing subjects.