The Stay Interview
Opening (set the stakes low)
“Thanks for making time. This isn’t a review and there’s nothing wrong. I do these with the people I’d really hate to lose, a couple times a year. I’d rather hear what’s working and what isn’t while you’re here and I can actually do something about it, instead of finding out later. So this is mostly me asking and listening. Sound okay?”
The direct one
“Let me ask the real one. What would make you start thinking about leaving? Doesn’t have to be likely. I just want to know what’s on the list.”
[This is the center of the interview. Let the silence work. Whatever they say, your first response is “okay, tell me more,” not a rebuttal.]
The full script runs opening through close — with variations for the guarded person, the burned-out person, and the remote one-on-one, plus the lines to avoid.