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

The most demotivating factor of Harper’s position is that her boss has left the organization. Harper works with Jose for the past four years. They had a good work relationship. He was guiding her since the time she has joined the organization. Jose leaving, she has lost the guidance and support provided by him. The communication level with David, her new boss, is limited, and though her work has increased, she does not feel involved or values. He has assigned her more duties overburdening her and left her with very little time to balance work and personal life. I could relate to Harper because I, too, feel overwhelmed in my job. I think that the simple problem that most businesses overlook they don’t check on their employee. They don’t ask what their workload is or how they are doing. The employees help run the business. Lack of communication means Lack of productiveness. Lack of productiveness means no raise and loss of revenue because of customer retention. The organization knows motivated, engaged employees are essential, but most fail to hold managers accountable for making it happen.

• If you were an HR manager meeting with Harper’s supervisor, David, what advice would you give to help them re-engage Harper?As the HR manager, I would advise Harper’s supervisor David to create communication channels and prioritize helping Harper feel valued. David should spare some time weekly to share with Jones by providing constructive feedback to prioritize work schedules and feel part of the team. He can also give feedback on the positives and negatives to acknowledge her contribution and make her feel that she an essential part of the team. David should review her workload and responsibilities and distribute some workload to other team members giving her time and space to manage her effectively. Additionally, he can offer her a revised pay package to compensate for the extra duties and reinforce her efforts in helping the company achieve its objectives. Lastly, he should positively support her role in the team by recognizing her contribution to the team. David should also give her a promotion and a raise for taking all that responsibilities. Human Resources is supposed to take care of the concerns of the employees. They have to provide them with necessary benefits and timely training and appraise them from time to time to keep them loyal to the company. So, it would appear to make sense that when companies recognize their workers with an award, they will likely to boost morale and maybe even inspire them to work harder. “Employee of the Month” awards given out to increase confidence and encourage them to work harder.

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

 The downside of losing Harper as an employee would be that the company would have to find a new employee and train the employee to adapt to the company culture and work style. The activity of hiring a unique individual would consume time, effort mad resources. The company would have to invest time in finding appropriate aid and train them to perform their duties. She has to have a good understanding of the organization, and her work style is ideally suited to the organization. Harper joined the organization immediately after graduating and has been completing her role for the past four years. The new employee may not adapt quickly to the work culture the company may find it challenging to find a suitable resource with matching competence levels. I feel money may not be at the heart of an employee’s decision to leave, and it will cost the company money, resources, and skills when the top performers go. I think losing employees is expensive and can often be prevented. Understanding the cost of an employee’s departure to your company and the real reasons employees leave will help you prevent it.

The following from Eight Effective Retention Strategies would help Harper in this situation.

1. Create a culture of open communication
2. Make it a priority to help employees feel valued
3. Don’t overburden employees
4. Understand why employees stay