What do you think is the most demotivating part of Harper’s job? Harper Jones is overworked, under appreciated, and seemingly, on an island of one at her marketing coordinator position with Marketable. Personally, if I had to chose but one “demotivating factor” in Harper’s world of work, I think that the most demotivating part of Harper’s job is the lack of open communication with her supervisor, David. Previously, Harper was able to communicate and commune with her previous supervisor Jose, and now, her new supervisor, David, oversees her entire team of 6 other employees and, unfortunately, he “seems unavailable.” So, not only is Harper overworked, but she isn’t able to check in with her boss to communicate how she (he?) is feeling in terms of the workload, let alone “break bread” and commune as humans need to do! That sucks! I hope I am always able to communicate with a future boss, and I hope if I’m the big boss person I can always try to maintain extremely open, frank, and if need be, brutally honest, lines of communication with my employees and teammates! This is so vital, as it forms the basis of good teamwork, from which other factors like recognition, incentives, and checking in with each other on workload in turn flow from open communication!
If you were an HR manager meeting with Harper’s supervisor, David, what advice would you give to help them re-engage Harper? If I was an HR manager meeting with Harper’s supervisor, David, I would advise that David begin checking in–sincerely–with his staff! This could be taking each member for coffee (might I recommend moonraker coffee roasters 😉 ), a meal, or just an informal check in where David drops the airs and lets guard down so folks feel comfortable being honest with how they are doing / feeling / and operating at work. Moreover, I would also recommend David pull his face out of the desk to begin recognizing employees for their contributions! This could be a quarterly, monthly, bi-weekly type event — it could be in person, via email, the sky, as they say, is the limit! We all thrive on feedback, especially positive feedback, and this public recognition not only rewards hard work for the employee receiving it, it can inceptive others to roll those sleeves up and hustle harder, among other benefits. David could also look at other benefits, perhaps as simple as offering more money, but moreover maybe other benefits that would really help people, like a flexday off to get pesky errands out of the way (has anyone else had a check engine light on for months and not had time to bring a vehicle to a mechanic, or to get a proper haircut, lol?).
What would be the downside of losing Harper as an employee? The downside of loosing Harper as an employee is manyfold–for one, Harper has been with Marketable for 4 years, so she has presumably gained a lot of institutional knowledge that helps the work get done, and loosing her (him?) means that Marketable has to not only hire but also train a new employee which takes not only time and energy away from the workload, but cold hard cashish! Moreover, quitting employees are like a “morale virus” that attacks the host, and other employees are apt to begin quitting as well, compounding the problem! Further, loosing Harper could mean competitive advantage for a firm hiring her that can leverage her skills to compete more effectively for business and clients that Marketable is working with.
Hey Edward,
I completely agree with your response to the second question, I believe healthy communication is one of the most important things to have when it comes to the workplace, and having a relationship with each employee can take a company to the next level.
Zilin Wu
You emphasize the importance of communication and highlight the most demotivating aspect of Harper’s job. No one will know what a person thinks if they do not communicate with others, even if they are good at their job and works hard. This is a seemingly trivial matter, but it leads to many factors, and communication is the fastest way to solve it. Also, this is excellent advice for Harper’s supervisor, David: a meal or a quick coffee meeting will be a great way to get to know each other and reach an understanding.
Hey Edward,
I completely agree with your response to the second question, I believe healthy communication is one of the most important things to have when it comes to the workplace, and having a relationship with each employee can take a company to the next level.
You emphasize the importance of communication and highlight the most demotivating aspect of Harper’s job. No one will know what a person thinks if they do not communicate with others, even if they are good at their job and works hard. This is a seemingly trivial matter, but it leads to many factors, and communication is the fastest way to solve it. Also, this is excellent advice for Harper’s supervisor, David: a meal or a quick coffee meeting will be a great way to get to know each other and reach an understanding.