Retention Assignment

• What do you think is the most demotivating part of Harper’s job?
  • There are several demotivating aspects of Harper’s job, such as losing her mentor/boss that she got along well with and taking on new responsibilities. However, having to navigate the new role and tasks without reward or recognition is likely the most demotivating since it creates a fruitless environment and can often make an employee feel like they are being taken advantage of. Harper did not get an additional financial compensation increase or title change – yet she is doing more work than before.
• If you were an HR manager meeting with Harper’s supervisor, David, what advice would you give to help them re-engage Harper?
  • I would suggest to first make more time for Harper, creating a more open form of communication to allow her to 1. get to know David better and 2. discuss her struggles with her workload and new tasks. I would also encourage David to find ways to make Harper feel appreciated such as establishing a flexible work schedule to allow her to have more time to herself, financial increase (bonus/raise) and title change. Lastly – an employee who feels overwhelmed will likely need a lot of support, I would advise David to either hire an additional person to take on some of Harper’s roles or restructure the team so that responsibilities are split evenly.
• What would be the downside of losing Harper as an employee?
  • Harper has been with the company for 4+ years and is already aware of the ins and outs of it. Losing an employee that has been around so long usually means losing the knowledge/experience that that employee had developed and maintained. Along with the technical debt that Harper would leave behind, when a senior employee such as Harper leaves other employees may begin to question their satisfaction/happiness. This may lead to a trend of high turn over and leaves behind a team of constantly new and inexperienced employees.