The Stay Interview Strategy: Building Loyalty from Day One

Retention Conversations Begin with Hiring

The insights you gather from asking “Why do you stay?” are only as useful as the systems that support them. Retention starts long before someone considers leaving. It starts with how you hire. Every hiring decision is a culture decision. When you hire for alignment with values, not just technical ability, you reduce friction later. If a new employee’s core motivations align with your department’s purpose, they’re more likely to stay through challenges. Structured interviews that explore personal motivators, not just qualifications, help leaders identify candidates who will thrive in the long term.

Municipal hiring practices often emphasize compliance and credentialing, which are important, but they should not overshadow the need for values alignment and behavioral fit. Tools like structured behavioral interviews and situational judgment tests can uncover how candidates are likely to respond to the complexities of public service work. For example, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management recommends competency-based interviews to predict performance and retention more effectively than traditional methods (OPM 2021)¹. When hiring managers shift from a transactional mindset to a long-term relationship lens, they begin building retention into the job offer itself.

Onboarding as the First Retention Strategy

Onboarding is not paperwork. It is your first opportunity to show new employees that they matter beyond the role they fill. A well-designed onboarding process helps employees feel connected, prepared, and valued from day one. That emotional connection is a primary driver of long-term engagement. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, employees who experience structured onboarding are 58 percent more likely to remain with the organization after three years². In the public sector, where bureaucratic complexity can be overwhelming, simplifying the first 90 days can go a long way toward reducing early turnover.

A strong onboarding program includes three key elements: clarity, connection, and context. Clarity ensures employees understand their responsibilities and how success will be measured. Connection fosters relationships with team members and supervisors, which is especially critical in service-oriented departments. Context provides the larger purpose behind their work, linking daily tasks to community impact. Departments that assign onboarding mentors, schedule regular check-ins, and offer early career development planning sessions tend to see stronger engagement outcomes. These strategies are not costly, but they require intention and follow-through.

Embedding Feedback Loops into the Employee Journey

Retention interviews are most effective when they’re part of a broader feedback framework that begins during onboarding. Structured check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days can uncover early signs of misalignment or dissatisfaction. These conversations should be two-way and focused on listening, not just evaluating. What surprised the new hire? What feels unclear? What support do they need that they haven’t received? By incorporating these questions into