How candid conversations can retain your staff

By Kate Vonderhaar Johnson, Managing Director

To slow down this massive turnover rate, health care employers must address the underlying structural challenges contributing to it, as my colleagues have written about particularly for the nursing workforce. For managers, this stark data has a practical immediate implication: assume many of your staff members are contemplating resignation. Instead of waiting for them to hand in their resignation notice, have a proactive conversation to understand what's kept team members at your organization so far and what they might be considering as a next move.

This type of conversation (typically called a "stay interview") is a useful retention tool even in the best of times, and it is especially important now as staff see so many of their colleagues leaving their organization and the industry. Despite the usefulness of stay interviews, our past research has shown many leaders don't have them due to four common concerns.

Four common concerns with stay interviews, addressed:

1. "I may make the situation worse by planting the seed."

   As staff see so many colleagues leaving, it's entirely rational for them to consider whether they should leave, too. By naming the possibility directly, you invite an open, candid discussion about what might be drawing them to other options (which, in turn, helps you understand what you might be able to do to retain them).

2. "I can't do anything to change their decision anyway."

   This concern is especially salient given all that has transpired across the last 18 months, not to mention the gigantic signing bonuses widely available to candidates. However, it's still worth trying. Your team member hasn't left yet, despite plenty of other options. Why have they stayed? Once you understand what's most important to them about their current job, you can do what you can to ensure those features stay firmly in place. 

3. "It's too personal and uncomfortable."

   It can feel awkward to ask a staff member about their future plans. Consider highlighting the national situation as a natural starting point for the discussion. For example, "A lot of people are re-thinking their jobs right now after all we've experienced across the last 18 months. I really value all you contribute to our team, and I want to better understand what I can do to ensure this is a place where you'd like to keep building your career."

4. "I don't have time."

5. You don't have to schedule a stay interview as a separate lengthy check-in. Set aside time during a regularly scheduled touchpoint to explicitly discuss retention. If you have a large number of direct reports, prioritize having stay interviews with top performers and staff whose resignations would be particularly hard to absorb.

The most effective stay interviews are two-way conversations. Your goal is to understand what your team member values most about their current role and what might cause them to leave. You can use some or all of the questions below to help guide the discussion:

• When have you felt most fulfilled in your current role?
• Has anything made you consider leaving in the last few months? If so, what was it?
• Do you feel like we recognize your contributions? What kind of recognition is most meaningful to you?
• Is there anything about your role that you really don't like that we might be able to change or fix? If so, let's brainstorm together how to do this. What are those things?
• What other roles—here or at another organization—can you imagine yourself in down the road?
• How can I support your progress toward where you want to be professionally in three years? In five?

Parting thoughts

There are many ways to have the discussion with your employees. The key is starting it—having a candid conversation with staff can help you understand how you might retain them. It’s also a form of recognition, because you’re taking the time to individually acknowledge how important your team member’s contributions are.