Case Study: Leveraging Stay Interviews to Build a Long-Term HR Strategy

Sep 30, 2024

Background: A client, a local insurance firm of 45 employees (1 Internal HR Lead), was experiencing high turnover and inconsistent employee engagement across teams. These challenges raised concerns about leadership alignment, decision-making processes, and long-term talent retention.

Challenges: The client sought deeper insights into their employees' experiences to understand where improvements could be made to foster a more engaged and aligned workforce. Stay interviews were identified as the ideal tool to uncover the reasons behind employee disengagement and turnover trends. The intent was to use the findings from the Stay Interviews to inform a 3-year proactive HR Strategy based on employee feedback.

Approach: We designed and implemented a structured stay interview process, conducting interviews across various teams to gather qualitative data. From there, we analyzed employee feedback and identified trends relating to leadership consistency, decision-making authority, career development opportunities, and overall engagement.

Recommendations: The stay interviews revealed several key areas for improvement, leading to the following recommendations for the executive team:

  1. Clarity on approval/authority for decision making

  2. Contingency or succession planning for better resource management

  3. Career mapping and mentorship opportunities

  4. A focus on engagement initiatives

  5. Leadership coaching to ensure consistent staff experience across teams

  6. Investment in technology for continued growth

  7. Offering maternity/parental leave top-ups to attract younger talent

  8. Exploring a 4-day workweek to improve work-life balance

  9. Developing a “high potentials” program to retain key talent

These recommendations not only addressed the current workforce’s needs but also informed long-term HR strategies that could help the company sustain growth and attract top talent.

Impact: Several recommendations were immediately actioned, such as setting annual goals around leadership coaching and succession planning. These changes helped align leadership teams and improve decision-making clarity. Other initiatives, like exploring a 'high potentials' program and maternity leave top-ups, were tabled for future consideration as part of the company’s broader HR strategy.

However, as the HR Lead left for maternity leave, some initiatives stalled, highlighting the importance of continuous momentum in HR programming. As of today, the client will need to reinvigorate these efforts to maintain progress.

Lessons Learned: The stay interview process underscored several key lessons: the importance of clear authority in decision-making, the need for leadership coaching, and the value of creating feedback loops that lead to action. The most successful HR strategies evolve when feedback is continuously gathered, translated into actionable plans, and regularly evaluated for effectiveness.

How We Can Set This Up for Success in Your Organization: We can create a tailored stay interview process designed to align with your specific culture and business goals. This process will not only provide immediate insights but will also drive long-term improvements through a systematic approach to feedback, action planning, and evaluation. By identifying the areas where your employees seek more clarity, growth, or engagement, we can ensure that their voices are heard and acted upon, boosting overall retention and job satisfaction.

Implementing a forward-thinking and sustainable HR strategy can help ensure long-term success and adaptability in your organization. Whether you're looking to streamline your hiring process, improve employee engagement, or enhance compliance, having a clear plan is essential. I'd be happy to explore how we can implement this process for your organization and set the stage for a brighter future. Reach out to Emma today at emarriott@iris-hr.com to learn more and take the first step toward transforming your HR approach!