• What do you think is the most demotivating part of Harper’s job?

The most demotivating part of her job is that she is being left to take on additional responsibilities without the proper recognition or guidance, and it’s affecting her ability to have the work/life balance that she had previously had.  She’s having to take on more work to make up for her previous boss leaving, and with Jose gone, it has Harper acting in a capacity that is leaving her overworked and disheartened with her work experiences.  Overall, due to Jose’s position not being filled quickly enough, Harper is at a loss and feeling stuck.

• If you were an HR manager meeting with Harper’s supervisor, David, what advice would you give to help David re-engage Harper?

I would advise David to schedule a 1-1 20-30min meeting with Harper as a check-in.  When giving this invitation he should communicate to Harper that the purpose of this meeting is so that she can express any concerns she has regarding her workload, ask for clarity regarding her additional assignments, and also so that David can communicate expectations regarding the additional work she is covering.  I also believe that prior to this meeting, David should also communicate within the invitation something which acknowledges her increased responsibilities and contributions in the absence of Jose. It should be something that is genuine and validating of Harper’s talents and the work she does.  I think it would also be wise for David to consider if there are others on the marketing team who may have a workload that is not as heavy, and who could help offset some of Harper’s workload.  I would then recommend that if there is someone else on their team who comes to mind, to propose the idea to Harper that there is a desire for her to have a better work-life balance than she has been having in Jose’s absence.

It’s important that David makes it clear that proposing this idea of giving some of Harper’s workload to someone on the team who does not have as intense of a workload is not because Harper lacks any talent or capabilities in completing the work, but because they desire for Harper to have a better work-life balance, as filling Jose’s role has taken the company longer than anticipated.  I would overall advise David to have a more open line of communication with Harper that will allow for her to seek the advice that she needs and to take the time to extend encouragement and praise even in passing moments to help build morale.  I also think it would be ideal to set aside time bi-monthly, for at least 2-3 months following this initial conversation, 1-1 meetings for 15mins where they could discuss her career development.  After these two months, they could move the 1-1 meetings to once a month.  The passing moments of encouragement and feedback on her work in addition to these 1-1 focused meetings I believe are essential and key to re-engaging her in her role.

I also believe there is the potential to consider within Harper’s career development that she could potentially be someone to fulfill Jose’s role. She has been with the company for four years, and if she is interested in a more managerial position, it could be a potential option for growth and career development within the company. This would need a pay increase for Harper if she were to fulfill this role, and the company would then have to seek out someone for Harper’s current position, however, it would likely be easier to onboard someone to fill Harper’s current role, than spend a few months more effectively onboarding Harper to be in a position where she can feel confident enough to manage two people of the marketing team, as Jose did (should she be interested).

• What would be the downside of losing Harper as an employee?

The downside of losing Harper as an employee is that there would be a heavily increased cost for indirect and direct turnover due to the fact that she has been having to not only fulfill her responsibilities in her role but that she has had to take on additional work and responsibilities to help in filling Jose’s absence.  This would mean that the marketing team would lose another team member and that the responsibilities within her role would likely be given to the remaining employees, which could further increase the likelihood of those employees leaving the company should they be left with those responsibilities for too long (or even at all, as they may also have increased workloads as a result of Jose’s absence).

Harper has also been at the company for four years, so she is very familiarized with company procedures in a more intimate capacity.  This would mean that whoever would replace her in her role would likely need more time to become as acquainted with these procedures as Harper was, and the “training period” could potentially be even longer than typical because of how Harper had years of familiarity and experience solely within Marketable, Inc. There would then be two new members who are not as familiar with Marketable, Inc. as there would be a new hire for both her role and Jose’s. As previously suggested though, should Harper be interested in taking on a more managerial role, she could take over Jose’s previous responsibilities, and it would likely be “quicker” for the company to find someone to onboard who would be in the position that Harper would have previously held before being internally promoted.