Personal timeline discussion
- 10 minutes writing down your personal history,
- 5 minutes each discussing how those events shaped your life
Diversity exercise
- 2 minutes to list ways we are alike,
- 2 minutes to list ways we are different,
- 5 minutes to discuss how our differences allow for different perspectives
Crucial conversations exercise
- no details yet, just an idea
Generational exercise
- What was cool?
- What events shaped your generation?
- What are some negative stereotypes about your generation?
- What are some positive stereotypes about your generation?
Mission exercise
- Have the employee describe the mission of the office
- Have the manager describe the mission of the office
The “Stay” interview
A Stay Interview is a meeting between you and an employee whom you directly oversee. These private, one-on-one meetings aim to improve employee engagement and retention by identifying ways that you can help make employees’ work lives more fulfilling, rewarding, and manageable. They help you understand your employees’ perspective on what your organization is doing well, and what can be improved. Stay Interviews are different from both Exit Interviews and performance conversations. Unlike Exit Interviews, Stay Interviews can reduce employee turnover by helping you proactively identify patterns of disengagement before an employee leaves, when you still have the opportunity to build on what is working and try to change what isn’t.
Who Do I Include? - There are two people involved in a Stay Interview: (1) you, the supervisor, and (2) your employee. While conducting Stay Interviews with employees is optional – as is an employee’s decision to participate – it is recommended that you conduct the interview with all employees that you directly oversee who are not currently on a PIP.
When Do I Schedule Stay Interviews? - It’s best to conduct Stay Interviews annually and, for new employees, within the first three to six months on the job. When scheduling Stay Interviews, it is important to schedule them separately from annual performance discussions to avoid confusing the purpose for each conversation. Ideally, your Stay Interviews will be conducted within a few weeks of each other to allow you to gain a comprehensive understanding of what truly motivates your team of employees.
Where Do I Host Stay Interviews? - When possible, conduct Stay Interviews face-to-face to promote high-quality communication between you and the employee, and instill a greater sense of trust. If a face-to-face conversation is not possible, conduct the Stay Interview over the telephone or virtually via video teleconference. When deciding where to hold the Stay Interview, identify spaces where the employee will feel comfortable disclosing private information; for example, a private conference room, not a cafeteria or break room.
DHS has literally a 20-page guide on these interviews that we could condense down into a 1-2 page version
Recognition Survey
- This is a really simple one and essentially involves a supervisor polling their employees about how they’d prefer to be recognized when awards time comes around (i.e., monetary, time off, etc.). The survey is sent out and results are kept in employees’ files and used at time of awards to ensure awards being given are in line with what an employee prefers.