Q: What can be done to help staff retention?
A: I published most of this five years ago, but it is remarkably still highly relevant, given the final staffing mandate from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
One of the best ways to boost retention is through stay interviews — one-on-one conversations conducted with high-performing staff, usually annually. This proactive approach allows nurse leaders to tell key staff members what they feel is going well in their role and what frustrations they might have — before it’s too late.
For stay interviews to be effective, staff need to understand the purpose of the interview in advance so they have time to think about what they would most like to share. They also need to trust that you, as the nurse leader, are sincerely interested in both the upsides and the downsides of their experience. By establishing a clear purpose and a positive tone, you help the employee feel safe enough to share.
A stay interview is most effective when you ask open-ended questions to assess job satisfaction. For example:
What do you look forward to doing at work?
What would you like to learn more about?
Why do you continue working here?
What issues might cause you to leave?
What can I do to improve your role?
If the staff member voices frustration, offer solutions. Although you may not be able to promise immediate changes, stress that you value the feedback. Follow up until a resolution is achieved.
More important than resolving issues, however, is the greatest value of effective stay interviews: They help staff feel valued.
After all, the more satisfied the staff member is, the less likely he or she is to leave.
Please send your nursing questions to Amy Stewart at [email protected].
