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

The combination of the drastic changes in the work environment Harper was accustomed to plus the lack of acknowledgement for her contributions are the most demotivating parts of her job. Not only did Harper’s prior boss, Jose, left… The communication culture with Jose  left, the sense of leadership and direction left too. Following Jose’s departure, Harper took on his work in effort to help cover his responsibilities; however her new boss, David, not only failed to fill Jose’s role but is also completely oblivious to the fact that his employee is overworked. It is clear that David has not implemented any employee retention strategies presented by Zippa. 

• 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 were an HR manager meeting with Harper’s supervisor David, I would recommend that he first recognize the importance of Strategy 5: Make it a priority to help employees feel valued. In order to make Harper feel valued, David can implement Strategy 5 by incorporating Strategy 4: Creating a culture of open communication. It is important to ensure all employees feel that their voices are heard, by checking in with employees on both professional and personal levels, helping to create a family culture. I would recommend David to set up monthly team meetings to address professional, personal concerns, and provide feedback to employees. Harper mentioned she feels overwhelmed and is behind on her work while David is never available for help. It is important for David to address that problem and help her refine her job duties as it also attributes to her want to leave the company. Employees will go above and beyond for a company they feel valued by.

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

Being that Harper has been working at the company for 4 years, it will cost resources and time to replace an asset like Harper- her credentials and company knowledge will undoubtedly exceed any potential employee’s. The main barrier hindering her from performing to the best of her ability, and David losing a star employee, is the lack of communication- both in context of guidance and praise.