Stay Interviews as a Retention Strategy

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

Nursing turnover is on the rise in even the very best organizations. 2020 was a tumultuous year, and not surprisingly, many nurses are reconsidering their work and life priorities. I rarely talk with a nurse leader today who is not worried about retaining current staff. In an environment like this, every retention strategy warrants careful consideration.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the practice of STAY interviews is gaining momentum. Leaders conduct these interviews to understand why employees stay and what might cause them to leave. It also gives nurse leaders insight into what matters most to their staff. In an effective STAY interview, managers ask standard, structured questions casually and conversationally. The goal is to collect real-time information on what matters most to nurses and then individualize your retention strategies. Five questions to ask during this conversation are the following:

Question 1: What do you look forward to each day when you commute to work?

This question brings nurses into the here and now and asks them to focus on their daily duties and challenges rather than expand on broader issues like pay and benefits. Employees stay and engage based on their relationships with supervisors and colleagues and how much they like what they do. These factors are often more important than pay and benefits.

Question 2: What are you learning here, and what do you want to learn?

This question helps leaders to direct their career coaching. Some nurses are ambitious to advance, some curious to learn more, and others want to work and go home.

Question 3: Why do you stay here?

While appearing simple at first, this question opens doors for discovery about retention. Many staff have never thought about this, so the leader’s role is to help them reflect. You might follow this first question with a second question about whether that was the only reason or whether they have other reasons.

Question 4: When is the last time you thought about leaving us, and what prompted it?

Everyone thinks about leaving a position at some point, so a directly worded question brings a much-needed conversation into the light.

Question 5: What can I do to make your job better for you?

While this question sends out a net for all remaining topics, it must ultimately yield answers about the interviewer. Avoiding defensiveness is critical. Be transparent about what you have influence over and areas that you may not.

Planning periodic STAY interviews is essential. In research on timing, Daniel Pink points out that many staff seriously consider leaving a position around their anniversary date with the organization. They ask themselves – “Do I still want to be here next year?” Pink advises that nurse managers pay attention to anniversary dates and do STAY interviews 60-90 days before that date. Taking notes and using the information gained during stay interviews to make positive changes in the organization is key to these interviews. Right now, the nursing workforce is undergoing huge demographic changes. Knowing what keeps nurses in organizations today is crucial information for leaders.

References

Finnegan R. (SHRM Website August 14^th, 2018). Conducting Stay Interviews. Available at https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/how-to-conduct-stay-interviews-part-2.aspx
Pink DH. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. New York: Riverhead Books; 2018.

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