Hello Stay Interviews, Goodbye Talent Loss: A Manager's Playbook

by Beverly Kaye, Sharon Jordan-Evans

Good employees are hard to find, and they can be easy to lose. But there's a simple tool every manager can use to ensure that star performers and solid contributors alike will feel energized, engaged, and excited-and that they will give you fair warning if they're unhappy. It's called the stay interview, and this book is the manager's definitive guide, written by the women who created the concept.

The idea is simple: ask people how they like their jobs and what would keep them there. Worried that your talented people will want things you can't deliver, like more money or a big promotion? Kaye and Jordan-Evans have a simple four-step process for dealing with that. Feel just plain awkward about doing stay interviews? They explain how to create an atmosphere that will make the interview more comfortable and provide dozens of suggested questions and icebreakers, as well as tips for easing any performance anxiety you might feel. Think you don't have time? They offer all kinds of options for where, when, and how you can do stay interviews, from folding them into other business processes to doing them casually, like on a walk to get a cup of coffee.

Stay interviews prevent exit interviews. They cost nothing, and the price of not doing them-in lost talent and time-can be huge. Now that you have the most practical, authoritative, soup-to-nuts guide available, you have no excuse. Just ask!

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

168 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2015

About the author

Founder and Chairwoman of Career Systems International, Dr. Beverly Kaye is an international bestselling author and a leading authority in the world of modern workplace performance. She has dedicated her life’s work to helping individuals and organizations grow in a workplace that fosters greater commitment, fulfillment, and humanity.

Beverly Kaye and the CSI team provide cutting-edge and award-winning talent development solutions primarily to Fortune 1000 companies. Her work and research are distinguished and widely recognized for helping others discover greater meaning in their work and gain greater control over their career destinies.

Dr. Kaye completed her graduate work at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and holds her doctorate from UCLA.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that this a tool any leader can use, regardless of any other factors. If you're interested in retaining people, being proactive about understanding what their needs and plans are is vital. The book provides some simple pointers that are usable. I haven't fully embraced it - some of the suggestions just seem way too awkward, but overall it's a good idea and an easy read.

While I do think it's very important for managers to use tools like stay interviews, I don't totally agree with the notion that people don't leave over salary as suggested by the author. I appreciate the research on the topic, but what that misses is a bigger picture where our corporate system oppresses people on a large scale - people are very broadly underpaid in so many fields. Companies use books like this against managers - effectively shifting all blame for underpayment.

But that larger point aside, it's still a perfectly useful and valuable tool that any leader should use.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate that this was meant to be a quick playbook and it had great ideas (especially for new managers or older ones that are just a bit stuck in their ways) BUT I feel like it could have benefitted from another 50 pages or so, especially on active listening I would have liked to learn more. Also the graphics were nice enough but didn’t really add anything.

[Kurt Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good playbook: doesn't go too much into theoretical depth, just briefly reiterates the WIIFM of a principle and gives scripts and tactics. I'll definitely be giving this to new managers at my organization.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a quick read with practical questions and advice, like just start. But it also told you different ways to just get started and provided sample questions. Felt like a mini training in a short book.

[Vishalkumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

More Philosophy around theoretical concept of stay interviews. Writer's skill to maintain grip over attention of the reader was missing.

Few examples are good.

[Kelly kujan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent practical book to retain employees.

[Jose Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful references to clueless supervisors who do not know how to communicate with their key people.

[Bette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, the authors, do an excellent job of describing the importance of regular conversation with employees to understand what matters most for engagement and retention. The premise is that meaningful conversation, Stay Interview conversations, will prevent talent from 'walking out the door.' Most organizations do exit interviews after an employee has resigned -- often too late to save valuable people from leaving the organization. Regular Stay Interview conversations provides the opportunity to identify viable strategies to keep employees before they consider leaving. Great resource book for first line supervisors up to the C suite.

[Karl Metivier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows us an interesting approach to meet regularly with your employees. That way, instead of doing an exit interview to know why they leave, you do an interview to make them stay.

Even if you are not a manager, like me, it can be a good read also. There are many tips you can use to know people better and find their true motivations in work.

Also, with Mike Rohde illustrations, it is a beautiful book.

[Vykki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book it had some very helpful things. I won this book on good reads.

[Gela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I'm not a manager but I wanted to see what the think and have a different perspective. Very interesting and informative. Its like cliff notes for employees.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. Informative. Valuable information.