Get My Stay Interview Guidebook Now!

You're losing your best people and the exit interview isn't telling you why.

By the time someone sits down for an exit interview, the decision is already made. The insights come too late, the patterns stay buried, and the cycle repeats. Meanwhile, the employees you can't afford to lose are quietly disengaging, and no one is asking them the one question that matters: What would make you stay?

Stay interviews flip the entire retention equation. Instead of reacting after the resignation, you're leading before the disengagement. But most managers have never been taught how to have these conversations; how to ask without creating anxiety, how to listen without getting defensive, and how to follow through without overpromising.

This guidebook gives you the complete system to do all three.

A structured, ready-to-use resource covering every phase of the stay interview process:

• Understanding what stay interviews are, why they work, and what makes them fundamentally different from exit interviews, check-ins, and performance reviews

• Preparing for the conversation; who should receive stay interviews, how to extend the invitation without creating anxiety, and how to do your own leadership homework before you sit down

• A curated question bank organized by purpose; motivation and meaning, retention risk and triggers, manager effectiveness, growth and development, and recognition and culture

• Conducting the conversation with presence; active listening frameworks, what to listen for beneath the surface, and how to hold space without getting defensive or overpromising

• The Action Commitment Plan - a structured template that turns every conversation into at least one specific, documented commitment with a real timeline

• Building a stay interview culture; moving from individual practice to organizational discipline, including a full program rollout checklist

• Restless Reflection prompts; ongoing leadership development questions designed to challenge your practice monthly and quarterly

Includes sample invitation scripts, an immediate post-conversation capture template, an action commitment template with escalation guidance, and a complete organizational rollout checklist.

Created by Tonya Richards, MS, PHR, SHRM-CP, CHHR, CDP - Founder of Restless Excellence™, President of Excel Now Consulting Corp, executive coach, and author, with over two decades of experience in HR strategy, organizational development, and leadership transformation.

Instant PDF download. 18 pages of structured, practical retention leadership designed to be worked through before your first stay interview and revisited every time you prepare for the next one.

Bonus: An essential resource for HR and L&D leaders building retention strategies, manager development programs, and employee engagement initiatives. Organizational licensing available for team and bulk deployment.