You’ve nailed your risk assessments. Your incident rate is looking healthier than ever. Your team of advisors, inspectors, or technical experts are running like clockwork. Then, out of nowhere, your top person hands in their notice.

Cue panic.

Retaining top talent in the HSEQ and Technical Services world isn’t getting any easier. With nearly 79% of UK businesses reporting recruitment challenges in technical roles (ONS Labour Market Survey, 2024), losing someone great isn’t just frustrating, it’s expensive and time-consuming to fix.

So, here’s a question: Have you asked your team why they stay?

If the answer is no, you might want to get acquainted with the stay interview.

What Is a Stay Interview?

A stay interview is a structured, one-to-one conversation between a leader and an employee, designed to uncover what’s working well for them in their role—and what might tempt them to walk out the door.

Think of it as an MOT for employee engagement.

It’s not a performance review. It’s not a disciplinary. It’s a chat—backed by structure and purpose—that helps you nip problems in the bud and keep your high performers engaged.

And in sectors like HSEQ and Technical Services, where specialist knowledge takes years to build, a well-timed stay interview could be worth its weight in gold.

Why Stay Interviews Work

(Especially for HSEQ & Technical Services Teams)

Let’s be real. Retention strategies in highly technical environments often focus on salary reviews or promotion pathways. Most hiring insights will tell you that the majority of employees leave their roles for monetary reasons - The rest? They cited things like team culture, feeling valued, and having input into how work is done.

That’s where stay interviews come in.

They offer:

• A chance to listen (properly) before problems bubble up
• A low-pressure space for team members to share honest feedback
• Early warning signs when someone’s feeling overlooked or burnt out
• A boost in morale, because you’re showing you actually care

In HSEQ, where people often deal with high accountability and high stakes, knowing their concerns are heard can have a huge impact on wellbeing and performance.

How To Do a Stay Interview (Without It Feeling Awkward)

You don’t need a clipboard or a consultant to get started. Here’s how to make it work:

1. Pick the Right Time
Avoid peak project periods or month-end chaos. You want their attention - and yours - fully on the conversation.

2. Set the Tone
Be clear upfront: “This isn’t a review, and you’re not in trouble. I just want to understand what makes you want to stay - and what might make you think twice.”

3. Ask Open-Ended Questions
Some good ones for technical or HSEQ teams:

• What part of your job do you enjoy the most right now?
• Is there anything about your role that’s become frustrating lately?
• What’s one thing you’d change if you could?
• When was the last time you felt especially proud of your work?

4. Take Notes (But Don’t Treat It Like an Interrogation)
Jot down key themes, not a transcript. You’re aiming for insight, not surveillance.

5. Follow Up - Always
This is the dealbreaker. If you ask the questions and then do nothing? That’s worse than not asking at all.

When Should You Run Stay Interviews?

Short answer? Before someone’s halfway out the door.

Longer answer:

• Once a year, as part of your talent strategy
• After 6 months in a role (to check in once the honeymoon period is over)
• After a major organisational change (merger, restructure, etc.)
• When someone’s performance or engagement quietly dips

And don’t just run them with your ‘star players’. Sometimes the quieter team members have the most valuable feedback - you just have to ask!

A Word on Trust (It’s Everything)

Let’s not ignore the elephant in the room. Not everyone will open up right away. That’s okay.

The trick is consistency. The more often you create safe spaces for feedback, the more likely people are to use them. Stay interviews aren’t a magic trick - they’re part of a longer-term commitment to better leadership.

Quick Stats for the Data-Lovers

£30,000+: The average cost to replace a technical or specialist employee in the UK (Oxford Economics)

41%: The number of employees who’ve thought about leaving a job simply because no one ever asked how they were doing (Qualtrics, 2023)

33%: The boost in engagement reported by teams who take part in regular stay interviews (Gallup UK)

Final Thoughts

In the HSEQ and Technical Services sectors, where niche skills and sharp thinking keep businesses running safely and efficiently, every person matters.

So if your strategy to keep people is mostly based on crossed fingers and a Christmas bonus...it’s probably time to do something different.

A 30-minute stay interview might just save you a six-month recruitment headache.