What's the difference between an exit interview and a stay interview?
The key difference lies in timing and intent:
Exit interview is conducted after an employee resigns. The purpose is diagnostic - to uncover why they're leaving and to capture feedback that might improve future retention.
Stay interview is conducted while the employee is still engaged. The purpose is preventive - to understand what keeps them motivated and what risks might cause them to leave, so issues can be addressed proactively.
In short, exit interviews are about learning from attrition, while stay interviews are about preventing attrition.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do stay and exit interviews differ in scope?
Exit interviews focus narrowly on a departing employee's reasons for leaving, capturing feedback on leadership, role expectations, culture, and policies.
Stay interviews take a broader, forward-looking approach - covering employee motivators, desired career paths, frustrations, and suggestions for improvement before a resignation occurs.
How do they differ in function?
Exit interviews function as a diagnostic tool. They reveal patterns in turnover (e.g., compensation gaps, lack of career growth, toxic management).
Stay interviews function as an engagement tool. They strengthen trust, highlight retention drivers, and allow HR to act before dissatisfaction leads to resignations.
Which delivers more impact for retention?
Stay interviews have a direct impact, as they can reduce resignations by addressing issues in real-time.
Exit interviews deliver indirect impact, as they can only inform retention strategies for the remaining workforce.
How should enterprises use both together?
Use stay interviews as an early-warning system, especially for high performers and critical roles.
Use exit interviews as a trend-analysis tool to validate whether systemic issues (e.g., poor manager effectiveness, limited advancement) are driving attrition.
Combine insights from both to create a 360° view of employee engagement and prioritize organizational improvements.
What risks exist in relying too heavily on one or the other?
Overreliance on exit interviews may mean organizations only react after talent is lost, leading to higher attrition costs.
Overreliance on stay interviews without systemic change may breed skepticism if employees feel their feedback is ignored.
Balanced use ensures HR gets both proactive and retrospective data to drive strategy.
Which is better suited for enterprise HR leaders?
Neither should replace the other - they serve different but complementary purposes.
Stay interviews are continuous listening mechanisms to retain talent. Exit interviews are trend-spotting mechanisms to refine policies and culture over time.
Together, they form the backbone of a robust employee feedback and retention strategy.
