Blijveninterviews

Blijveninterviews, or stay interviews, are structured conversations between an employer and an employee with the aim of understanding the reasons the employee stays with the organization and identifying factors that could cause them to leave. The concept, adopted from English stay interviews, emphasizes proactive retention rather than reacting to turnover.

Typically conducted as one-on-one discussions, often by the employee's direct manager or HR, they are not performance reviews or appraisals. They may occur at key moments, such as after onboarding, during career development planning, or at regular intervals (for example annually or semi-annually). The focus is on the employee's job satisfaction, engagement, recognition, workload, growth opportunities, team relationships, and alignment with values and goals. Example questions include: What do you value most about your role? What could make you stay longer? What would cause you to consider leaving? What obstacles do you see to doing your best work? What could management do differently to support you?

Benefits of blijveninterviews include early identification of retention risks, informing people-management decisions, and enabling targeted improvements. Limitations include potential bias, the risk of insincere answers if trust is lacking, and the need for concrete follow-up and resources to act on feedback. Effectiveness depends on management commitment and the integration with broader retention strategies and data.

Implementation considerations include deciding who conducts the interview, ensuring psychological safety, determining cadence, documenting insights, and linking findings to action plans. Training for managers in inquiry and active listening is common. While not a substitute for exit interviews, blijveninterviews complement them by addressing issues before turnover occurs.

See also: stay interviews; employee retention; employee engagement.