Why 'stay interviews' are the new way to keep employees from quitting

• Stay interviews are proactive conversations between managers and employees to understand what keeps them at a company.
• Unlike exit interviews, stay interviews occur while an employee is still with the company, allowing time for action.
• For these interviews to be effective, a foundation of trust is necessary for employees to provide honest feedback.

What if companies didn’t wait until employees quit to ask what went wrong?

That’s the idea behind “stay interviews,” a growing workplace strategy designed to improve retention before problems escalate. Instead of focusing on why someone is leaving, stay interviews shift the conversation to why employees choose to stay ‒ and what might eventually push them out.

At its core, a stay interview is a structured conversation between a manager and an employee about what’s working in their role ‒ and what isn’t.

According to a 2026 Gallup survey, 52% of employees who voluntarily left their jobs said their manager or company could have taken steps to prevent their departure. Stay interviews are designed to uncover those opportunities earlier, while there’s still time to act.

The goal is to understand what keeps employees engaged, what support they need, and what changes could improve their experience.

By having these conversations regularly, employers can identify concerns early, make meaningful adjustments and create a workplace where employees feel supported and motivated to stay.

How stay interviews differ from exit interviews

Unlike exit interviews, which happen after an employee has already decided to leave, stay interviews take place earlier, while there’s still time to make changes.

They’re designed to surface concerns in real time, giving managers a chance to improve the day-to-day employee experience before small issues turn into reasons to quit.

According to Erica Rivera, a career coach and a former technical recruiter at Google, stay interviews are “a retention tactic that a lot of companies will use to try to keep people in the organization,” she says.

Exit interviews, by contrast, are retrospective. They can offer useful insights, but they happen too late to retain the employee who’s leaving.

Why companies are using stay interviews

As the workforce continues to shift, companies are paying closer attention to stay interviews as a way to hold onto talent. With turnover still high across many industries, retention is no longer a secondary concern ‒ it’s a core business priority. Gallup estimates that 42% of employee turnover is preventable, often tied to factors like management, engagement and workplace experience. 

According to Janelle Rash, a human resources leader, “Companies are increasingly adopting stay interviews in 2026 because they act as a proactive ‘check-up’ rather than a reactive ‘autopsy.’ She adds that “the cost of preventing a departure is a fraction of the cost of managing one.”

That cost can be significant. Rash notes that “replacing an experienced worker can range from 50% to 200% of an employee’s annual salary,” factoring in recruiting, onboarding and lost productivity.

In practice, however, stay interviews aren’t always as proactive as intended.

"I wish I could say that they're more proactive than reactive, but I've seen more of the latter,” Rivera says. In many cases, companies turn to stay interviews only after noticing increased turnover, using them to understand why employees are leaving rather than to prevent it.

Even so, the financial incentive is hard to ignore. “It’s more expensive to hire someone, to train someone, than to focus on internal retention,” Rivera says.

As competition for skilled workers grows, companies can’t afford to overlook what keeps employees engaged day to day. Stay interviews offer a way to get ahead of those challenges by understanding employee needs before they decide it’s time to leave.

As Tomos Bright, the Global People and Culture Manager at Mauve Group, explains, “A stay interview is a conversation about why someone stays and what would make them stay longer. Think of it as the human counterpart to an engagement survey.” Unlike a survey, these conversations create room for honest, nuanced feedback that’s harder to capture through forms alone.

Common stay interview questions

Stay interviews are designed to feel conversational rather than formal, creating space for honest, thoughtful feedback.

According to Erica Rivera, the discussion may feel casual, and that’s intentional. Managers often ask open-ended questions like:

• How are things going for you right now?
• What parts of your role are you most excited about day to day?
• Are there any areas where you’re experiencing challenges or gaps?
• What could I do to better support your growth or next step?

These questions help uncover what’s working, what isn’t and what might influence an employee’s decision to stay.

Questions to avoid in a stay interview

Not every question leads to useful feedback. In some cases, the wrong approach can make employees feel uncomfortable or guarded.

Avoid:

• Leading questions (e.g., “You’re happy here, right?”)
• Questions that feel like a performance review rather than a conversation
• Anything that puts employees on the spot about leaving (e.g., “Are you planning to quit?”)
• Questions without follow-through, especially if concerns are raised but not addressed.

The goal is to create a safe, low-pressure environment ‒ not to interrogate or extract reassurance.

Benefits of stay interviews

Stay interviews can benefit both employees and employers by creating space for open, ongoing conversations about the work experience. When done well, they help leaders address concerns early, strengthen manager-employee relationships and improve retention.

According to Bright, stay interviews often function as an extension of regular one-on-one check-ins. “In practice, they often become an informal extension of a one-to-one or a check-in with a line manager, offering clear insight into what people need to feel supported and committed,” he says. “And while informal, stay interviews can be pivotal in whether someone chooses to stay or leave.”

Beyond retention, these conversations can also strengthen trust between employees and managers. “Having those types of touch points can be helpful,” Rivera says. They give managers a clearer sense of how their team is feeling and where additional support may be needed.

In a workplace shaped by performance improvement plans, layoffs and exit interviews, stay interviews can also serve a more human purpose: signaling to employees that their voice matters and that they’re valued before they consider leaving.

Potential drawbacks

While stay interviews can be a valuable tool, they aren’t without limitations. Their effectiveness depends largely on how they’re conducted ‒ and whether employees feel safe being honest.

Trust is a key factor. If it hasn’t been established, employees may hold back meaningful feedback.

“If you haven’t built trust with the individual, you’re probably not going to get the honest feedback that you’re looking for,” Rivera says.

Rash shares a similar concern. “If the company culture is already toxic or fearful, stay interviews will fail,” she says. In those environments, employees may default to “safe” or overly polite responses rather than candid feedback, especially if they worry about being labeled negatively.

Even in healthier workplaces, stay interviews can create tension if expectations aren’t clear. Employees may question how their feedback will be used or worry about unintended consequences

Without trust, transparency and follow-through, stay interviews risk becoming performative rather than productive.

Bottom line

Stay interviews are gaining traction because they give managers real-time insight into the employee experience ‒ and a chance to act before issues turn into turnover.

As Rash explains, they’ve become a “gold standard” because they provide actionable insight while there’s still time to respond. Unlike exit interviews, which reflect on what went wrong, stay interviews focus on improving the day-to-day employee experience in the moment.

They don’t have to be formal to be effective. Rivera says these conversations should happen regularly, not just as scheduled check-ins. Weekly one-on-ones can include space to talk about how employees are feeling, not just what they’re doing.

More structured stay interview conversations can happen quarterly or at least every six months, giving managers a consistent way to understand what employees need to stay engaged.

Ultimately, stay interviews work best when they’re part of an ongoing dialogue ‒ not a one-time fix.

What is USA TODAY Top Workplaces 2026?

Do you work for a great company? Each year, USA TODAY Top Workplaces, a collaboration between Energage and USA TODAY, ranks organizations across the United States that excel at creating a positive work environment for their employees. Employee feedback determines the winners.

In 2026, over 1,600 companies earned recognition as top workplaces. Check out our overall U.S. rankings. You can also gain insights into more workplace trends and advice by checking out the links below.