“Stay Interview” Questions
:Talking with Library Employees Who Are Thinking of Quitting
Sometimes, when it comes to keeping our library employees happy, motivated, and dedicated, we have our questions backwards. We only discover they are not any of these three things as they are going out the door. In the spirit of standing at the top of the river versus waiting at the bottom of the waterfall, it can help to get ahead of their job dissatisfaction by asking them about it, rather than discovering what made them leave, at the time of the less-than-fun “Exit” Interview..
The Society For Human Resources (SHRM.org) is one of the largest professional organizations for HR professionals. As a member (and board certified by them since 1995), I come across articles and ideas that can benefit library leaders and library staffers.
One approach, covered in their HR Forms section for members, refers to the value of asking ”Stay Interview Questions.” This is a bit of an early-warning coaching conversation, that touches base with an employee who might be thinking of leaving your library. This person could be a new-hire, who is trying to decide if the job is actually right for her or him, or it could be a longtime employee who feels burned out, “top-stepped out” (no other promotional levels to reach or strive for), or on the fence about a career change, a move to a new city, or retiring early.
Your use of these questions - which you can customize to match your management style and conversational goals - can help you discover what you and your library may need to do differently to help retain this employee; give you a sense of this person’s personal and professional goals; and help you make staffing decisions if it’s clear she or he has a leaving date in mind.
Some of these questions may reveal some issues about how employees get along, or don’t; about how work gets signed, delegated, or completed; and it may even bring serious, hidden issues to light that you need to address. This could include harassment problems; the perception of fairness in your hiring, promotion, and discipline processes; and underlying concerns about the health of your work culture.
From the SHRM website (https://shorturl.at/lsTX8):
“The following are questions you may ask during a stay interview. You should have several open-ended questions on hand. It’s important to listen and gather ideas from the employee about how you and your organization can retain him or her.
What do you look forward to when you come to work each day?
What do you like most or least about working here?
What keeps you working here?
If you could change something about your job, what would that be?
What would make your job more satisfying?
How do you like to be recognized?
What talents are not being used in your current role?
What would you like to learn here?
What motivates (or demotivates) you?
What can I do to best support you?
What can I do more of or less of as your manager?
What might tempt you to leave?”
Think of this process as the better, earlier, wiser antidote to the so-called “Exit Interview,” where the library leader or the HR manager discovers the reason(s) why the employee is leaving only after it is far too late to do anything about them.
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