Understanding Why Employees Stay: A Mixed-Methods HR Study
Context & Problem Space
Zap Energy, Inc. is a start-up in the insanely competitive fusion energy industry. Everything is new here, from our systems to our processes to our people. As the HR Generalist, retention and employee experience are always top-of-mind. I wanted to find out what motivates our employees to stay here, what do they value about their experience, and what can be improved.
I gathered this information from a variety of sources including Exit Interviews, Stay Interviews, a Benefits Survey, and an Employee Resource Group survey. Below is my approach to gathering and evaluating this data to derive insights into employee retention and happiness.
Goal: Understand what motivates employees to stay, and identify gaps in our People strategies.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What motivates employees to stay at Zap long-term?
What aspects of the employee experience do they value most?
What areas are creating frustration or disengagement?
Where are there misalignments between employee expectations and our current People programs?
Data Sources
Exit Interviews
When an employee leaves the company, I sit down with them and ask a series of questions about the circumstances of their departure, and the nature of their experience at the company.
Benefits Survey
The fusion energy industry is incredibly competitive, so every 6 months we conduct Stay Interviews with our top performers to understand needs, wants, and desires.
Employee Resource Group Survey
The fusion energy industry is incredibly competitive, so every 6 months we conduct Stay Interviews with our top performers to understand needs, wants, and desires.
Stay Interviews
The fusion energy industry is incredibly competitive, so every 6 months we conduct Stay Interviews with our top performers to understand needs, wants, and desires.
