It's the worst sort of surprise: A valued and seemingly happy employee gives his notice. Can you do anything at this point? Probably not. Could you have anticipated the departure and tried to prevent it? Absolutely. That's where this book comes in.

This practical guide introduces managers to a powerful new engagement and retention tool: the stay interview. Smart companies have begun conducting these periodic reviews in order to discover why their important talent might leave and to solve any problems before they actually quit.

Written by the retention expert who pioneered...

Nothing HR does contributes more to productivity than improving engagement and retention. Nothing supersedes the value of getting our employees to give their best and to stay. No administrative task like making payroll, no hiring task like filling jobs quickly, no program task like renting an ice cream machine for employee appreciation week. Nothing else we do. HR leaders know better than most that voluntary turnover is spiking and nearing its all-time high, that fewer than one-third of our employees are engaged in their work, and that executives say in survey after survey their number one...