Increase engagement? Do a ‘check-in’ interview.

Check-in interviews, which are conversations between a manager and an employee or between team members, invite deeper personal interaction, allowing you to learn more about an employee’s perspective: what works, what doesn’t and how they can remain happy at work. The following 25 questions provide insights into how employees experience their work.

According to recent research by Hays, owing to the coronavirus crisis a third of all Dutch employees now feel less loyal toward their employers, and nearly half of all employees less positive about their jobs. Moreover, remote working is here to stay. In this time of physical distancing, would your organisation like to reduce the mental distance from work? To achieve this, managers must devote more time and attention to their employees and gain a better understanding of how employees’ perceive the organisation. Check-in (or ‘stay’) interviews can help with this, ensuring that employees feel that they are seen and heard.

What is a check-in interview?

We of course already have all manner of conversations and interviews at our disposal, like progress meetings, when we discuss how employees are developing and functioning at work; the employee survey, which provides insights on the organisational and team levels, but isn’t designed to learn more about employees personally; and, ultimately, exit interviews, from which we glean valuable information about improving the organisation, although too late for retaining the employee.

Deeper and personal interaction

Check-in interviews – conversations between managers and employees or between team members – invite deeper personal interaction, from which we can discover why employees remain with the organisation, what keeps them engaged, and what they need to remain with the organisation and be the best versions of themselves. Check-in interviews allow you to learn more about the employees’ perspectives: what works, what doesn’t, and how they remain happy at work.

The best questions for check-in interviews

Questions about happiness and work experience

What do you look forward to when starting your working day? What do you dread?
What do you like most about your job?
What do you like least about your job? What could be done about this?
What makes for a pleasant working day?
What do you miss most at the moment? And what least?
What is the most important part of your job that you would like to change?
Why do you remain with this team/organisation?
If another company were to make you a job offer, what would they have to offer to interest you?
If you won the lottery and no longer had to work, what would you miss about your job?
What talents, interests or skills do you have that are not yet being utilized?
What challenges do you see in your job? Is there anything new you would like to learn in the coming year?
Compared to your previous job, is there something missing in your present position?
On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you working here? What would have to happen to score a 10?

Questions about the organisation

If you could change anything about this organisation, what would it be?
Do you feel you are part of a greater vision and mission?
Do you feel that your work has meaning? What is needed to make your work more meaningful?
Do you feel that you have an influence on your work? What is needed to increase your influence?
Do you feel that the feedback you receive is helpful? What kind of feedback or recognition would you like about your performance that you are not currently receiving?
What resources can we offer to help keep your work/life balance under control?
What future opportunities would you like to have that transcend your current position?

Questions about relationships with colleagues and managers

Do you feel appreciated at work?
Do your colleagues treat you with respect?
How can your relations with and enjoyment of colleagues be improved?
As your manager/team member, what would you like me to continue doing? And, as your manager/team member, what would you like me to do less of?
As your manager/team member, how can I better support you?

Know what your employees need

Check-in interviews help organizations, executives and teams understand what they are doing well and what areas need work. Additionally, employees value such conversations, because they are listened to, and hence a sense of mutual trust develops that can lead to personalised solutions: what are the employee’s needs and how can the manager/team members meet those needs? If you know what employees need, you can spend time, energy and money on the right things!

Author: Heleen Mes