The Stay Interview: A Trauma-Informed Approach
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There’s a reason Chief People Officer is the hottest job of the post-pandemic workplace. Employees have more options than ever before, and with so much less face time, it’s hard to stay responsive to their needs. To cope, People teams are returning to a classic retention tactic, the stay interview, which promises to uncover critical issues before they lead to turnover. But while proactive employee check-ins are a noble idea, in practice, they often ignore employees’ past work traumas. And asking for sensitive feedback without careful planning can backfire, skewing the results while damaging trust. In this talk, our founder Ben Jackson will share the top mistakes employers make when asking for feedback. In the process, he’ll outline the foundations of employee research ethics and explain how to create a safe space for radical honesty. What You’ll Learn: 📈 How high-growth teams like Peloton use trauma-informed research to improve key business metrics. 🤐 Why every employee avoids raising concerns at least some of the time (hint: it’s out of your control). 🔒 How informed consent and confidentiality protect employees from regretting the choice to speak up. 🗣 Three critical things any employee needs to feel safe speaking honestly about their challenges.
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The Stay Interview: A Trauma-Informed Approach
- 1. TheStayInterview ATrauma-InformedApproach Beforewestart: Shareyourlocation,role, andcompanyinthechat
- 8. • • • • • • Struggling to ramp up Behind on key deliverables Requesting extra WFH days Disengaged in meetings Avoids asking for help Coworker reports poor quality of work Atypicalretentionstory Whatmanagerssee:
- 9. Adaily90-minutecommutesapshisfocus. On remote days, he’s very productive. But his manager has made it clear that WFH is a privilege that depends on results. What’s worse, his teammate is overworkedand impatient. The relationship has soured to a point where just seeing them in person leaves him anxious. He wishes he could speak up, but he’s heard the company never approves WFH requests. And the last time he went to HR, he was forcedoutofajob. Atypicalretentionstory What’sleftunsaid:
- 10. “ Stay interviewsareconductedtohelp managersunderstandwhyemployeesstayand whatmightcausethemtoleave. – Society for Human Resource Management
- 14. “ Theexpectationisthatifyouencourage peopletospeakupandcontributetheirideas andopinions,noonewillremainsilent…[but] wesawthatpeoplequiteoftenvolunteered ideasevenastheysilencedtheirfears. – Parke and Sherf, Academy of Management Journal Even vocal employees still avoid raising issues
- 20. “ Trauma-InformedCareisanapproachinthehuman servicefieldthatassumesthatanindividualismore likelythannottohaveahistoryoftrauma. – The Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care Buffalo University Center for Social Research
- 24. “ Ifwereallywanttocreateanopen,transparent culture,we’llneedtobuildasystemwhereeveryone feelssafetospeakupaboutissuesthatmightnotrise tothelevelofawhistleblowercomplaint. How to respond to concerns about confidentiality:
- 25. • • • • • • Unclear purpose of research No option for employee to withdraw Little to no expectation of confidentiality Employees feel pressure to join Uncertain when (or if) findings will be shared Unclear how participation benefits employee Planning&Communication TopMistakesWhenAskingforFeedback
- 26. • • • • • • • Using focus groups instead of 1:1 interviews Straying from the planned research topics Asking vague, leading, or speculative questions Relying on notes instead of recording a transcript Pushing back on critical feedback Trying to problem-solve in the moment Ignoring the power dynamic with the interviewer GatheringInformation TopMistakesWhenAskingforFeedback
- 27. • • • • • Limiting access to the findings Exposing the identity of participants Sharing info that could harm a source Retaining employee data indefinitely Not tying next steps to yearly goals or OKRs Sharing&Follow-Up TopMistakesWhenAskingforFeedback
- 29. Employees need to know what they’re signing up for before they agree to share feedback. InformedConsent ResearchEthics101 Readasampleformathearmeout.co/consent • • • • • Why the research matters to the organization Their rights as a participant What will happen to the data they share What to expect from the conversation When they’ll hear back about the outcomes Consentformsshouldoutline:
- 30. ConsentForm Must-Haves Should be clear where and for how how long data will be stored ExplicitConsent Should allow participants to consent in full or in part to the research DataGovernance
- 31. The only thing worse than not gathering feedback is doing so in a way that leads to harm. Confidentiality and discretion are paramount. One slip and trust is broken with employees, maybe forever. Protecting them should come before anything else, includingsolvingbusinessproblems. First,donoharm RulesforInterviewers
- 32. Employees rarely share all the same context as leadership and HR. It’s easy to dismiss their concerns in light of what they don’t or can’t know. Getting defensive or telling people they shouldn’t be upset is a losing strategy. Choosecuriosityfirst. Listen, empathize, and ask follow-up questions. Nooneiswrongabout theirfeelings RulesforInterviewers
- 33. Employees don’t always have the language to explain how they’re feeling, or why. It’s on us to read between the lines and gather context so we can articulatethe thingstheycan’t when summarizing feedback. When someone says “Actually, that day things worked out well,” the next question should always be, “How do things typically work out on most days?” Subtextandcontext matter RulesforInterviewers
- 35. Hear Me Out is a culturestrategyservice for growing teams. We talk to employees confidentially, then use the insights we uncover to make work more rewarding for everyone. Clients hire us to design programs that improve hiring,onboarding,andretention by drawing on a deep and nuanced understanding of employees’ true needs. AboutUs Culturestrategyfor growingteams
- 37. “ Afterworkingwithotheroutsidevendors,Iwas concernedthiskindofservicewouldjustleadto alotof‘fluffytalk’…Butit’sreallypushedour technicalrecruitingteamtodriveresults. Will Blaze, Peloton’s former Director of Talent Acquisition
- 40. “ Benhasusedhisdeepwelloffirsthandexperienceto helpmeunderstandwhat’sbrokenwithworkandhow wecanbegintoapplysomesustainablefixes. CharlieWarzel, author of Out of Office and columnist at The Atlantic
- 42. Elizabeth is an experienced COO and hospitality professional who helped scale world-renowned New York restaurants such as Eataly, Dig Inn, and Tacombi. ModeratorSpotlight: ElizabethMeltz VPofOperationsandSustainability@Tacombi
- 43. Thanksforjoining! To see how Hear Me Out can help you develop a more effective culture strategy: sales@hearmeout.co SubscribeforUpdates www.hearmeout.email RequestaQuote JoinOfficeHours hearmeout.co/office-hours