What do you think is the most demotivating part of Harper’s job?
Answer: The part that has been demotivating Harper is that she had to take extra workload when her previous boss Jose left the company six months ago. She is now struggling to balance her work and personal life since she gets to spend much fewer time outside work. And she’s been doing this extra work without any form of recognition from her current boss, who doesn’t seem to give her the helping hand when Harper needs it. Her current boss is also not taking any action to relief Harper of her extra workload like filling in the empty position who can share workload with Harper or giving Harper promotion for taking extra responsibilities.
If you were an HR manager meeting with Harper’s supervisor, David, what advice would you give to help David re-engage Harper?
Answer: If I were an HR manager, I would tell Harper’s supervisor to fill in the empty position that Harpers previous boss left, with another employee who can relief Harper of the extra work burden, or he can give Harper a raise for taking up extra work responsibilities. He can also give Harper a promotion to the position her previous boss was in, since she has demonstrated that she can do his job. I would urge the supervisor to relief Harper of the extra workload so she can balance her work and personal life smoothly.
What would be the downside of losing Harper as an employee?
Answer: Harper has worked for the company for four years, so she has gained a lot of experience working for the company, so she knows how to finish the tasks efficiently. She has also showed that she can take in extra responsibilities, like working in a managerial position in the company. It will be a big loss for the company to loss an exceptionally hard working and an experienced employee like Harper, and it might take a long time to fill in that position with someone who has similar expertise like Harper. It will also be very costly to train that new employee for that position. Losing Harper might also demotivate other employees who had a close relationship with Harper, and who might not get along well with any new employee replacing Harper.
1.Harper is a 26 year old, she’s been in the same role since graduating. She has held this exact role for approximately four years with support from her peers. As of the shift in bosses, there has been a change in managerial practices. Unlike Jose, The new boss passes down work to lower level employees. Putting on additional work and not providing sufficient support to employees can cause additional stress which will demotivate employees.
2.Give Harper similar levels of communication that David did in order to help her feel a bit reassured. As an HR Manager, I would advise David to contribute by picking up his own work instead of relying on other people. In result of David being new, I would suggest someone that could actually help with his issues as he learned to adjust. Based on the explanation of the issue, I would check in with Harper and assign an intern or an assistant to help her get back on track. In addition, I would hold an introductory meeting so they can meet their new teammate.
3.As Harper manages an entire team with other employees, losing her would jeopardize the projects that are already in motion. In addition, Harper would know the most information about the company compared to David. As its clear, David doesn’t seem well adapted to his work, but this also shows their work abilities. It proves that Harper is willing to take one for the team even though that isn’t in her Job Description.