East P45

“Baby, have you got to go away? Don’t think I can take the pain… won’t you stay another day?” 

Cried the employer. His fur-lined parka blew in the wind as he dropped to his knees in despair. Quite strange to hold an exit interview in a car park in the rain but here we are. 

“Don't you know we've come too far now? Just to go and try to throw it all away?”

• Well actually, your employees don’t really care how long they’ve been there anymore. Loyalty to an employer is a thing of the past, even if they have done a stellar job. 

“Thought I heard you say you love me? That your love was gonna be here to stay?”

• Perusing the market to see where you might be a better fit even if you’re happy where you are is normal. Don’t let your boyfriend keep you from finding your husband and all that. 

“I've only just begun to know you…”

• A bit late to be honest. Retaining your top talent is just as important as attracting and hiring top talent. Know your team and know them well. 

“I touch your face while you are sleeping.” 

• Weird. They’re definitely not going to stay now and they’re definitely going to give you a bad review on Glassdoor and/or call the police. 

The remix

Instead of an exit interview, switch things up and get in there before the dreaded letter of resignation lands in your inbox. Enter the “Stay Interview”. You regularly check in with your employee’s performance but are you checking with your own performance as an employer? These check-ins don’t have to be formal interviews but even just letting your employees know their opinions on the business matter. It can be as simple as asking - 

• What’s your favourite thing about this workplace?
• Do you feel your work makes an impact on the business?
• How do you feel about your workload? Is it too much or not enough? 
• Do you see a future for yourself here? 
• If you were in the leadership team, what would you do differently?