Stay Interview Template

The stay interview template helps you learn why your best people stay, and what might make them leave, while you can still do something about it. Unlike an exit interview, a stay interview is a retention tool used before anyone has one foot out the door.

When to use it

Run stay interviews with high performers and key people you cannot afford to lose, on a light cadence or whenever you sense disengagement. They are most valuable when nothing is obviously wrong, which is exactly when most managers forget to ask.

Who attends

The manager and a valued employee. Keep it informal and one-on-one. The tone should signal genuine care, not a survey or a save-the-deal scramble after a resignation.

How to run it

Open by saying clearly that you value them and want to understand their experience. Ask about what keeps them, then about what might push them away, and listen without getting defensive. The fastest way to lose someone is to ask these questions and then change nothing. Close by committing to one or two real actions.

Questions to ask

• What keeps you working here?
• What does a great day at work look like for you?
• What would make you consider leaving?
• What frustrates you that we could fix?
• Do you feel your work is recognized and valued?
• What is one change that would make this a better place for you?

Common mistakes

• Only running a stay interview after someone resigns, when it is too late.
• Getting defensive when you hear hard truths.
• Asking the questions and then changing nothing.
• Treating it as a formality instead of a real conversation.

Keep your best people before they start looking. Run it in OrgTP and turn what you learn into action you actually follow through on.