Case study

Using Job Analysis for Job Rotation and Redesign

The casino was all set for another busy and profitable Friday night. The tribute band would be starting in another hour and the restaurants and bar stools were nearly full with preshow diners. Many of the show seekers would return to try their hand at tables or slots before the evening was out. As Shea looked around the casino floor, she could feel the energy just starting to ramp up as the night's hopeful gamers were trickling in$,$ replacing the coffee$-$drinking day crowd now cashing in their remaining chits and chips.

Shea scanned the day shift employees, knowing they would be counting down the time until they could rest their fired backs and feet with their shift behind them. As shift manager, she couldn't help but keep a casual lookout for the table$-$game dealers, slot$-$machine attendants, and casino cashiers who would be taking over as the evening crew during the shift change in $15$ minutes.

Just then, Shea spotted Bin walking quickly in her direction, a grim look on his face. "Angelo was supposed to be working in the cage tonight, and he just called in sick."

Shea could tell from the tone of Bin's voice that he was questioning whether Angelo was actually$\_$sick or just avoiding taking his turn exchanging bills for chips and turning chips into cash as a cashier in the cage. Shea silently acknowledged that the absence rates when staff members were scheduled to work cage shifts were significantly higher than when they were scheduled to work the tables or slots: She knew that being closer to the gambling action was more exciting than being in the cage and made the shift pass

by more quickly. As well, there was always the possibility that lucky gamblers would share a chip or two with their dealers.

Her mind switched to solving the problem at hand. The two cages each needed two cashiers for that night's shift. With one now away, she would have to pull one of the table$-$game dealers or slot$-$machine attendants. No one would be happy to forgo their scheduled work for a shift in the cage. Shea aimed to schedule cage shifts evenly across alLof the table$-$game dealers and slot$-$machine attendants for each night they normally worked to be as fair as possible in giving each staff member time on the floor.

Well, except for the craps table dealers, Shea thought. They didn't have to take a turn in the cage, and Shea knew this was a point of contention for the other staff. Four$-$person teams managed each craps table, and the quick math and complexity of the game, owing to the number of gamblers and bets to keep track of$,$ meant that fewer staff could handle the game. Other employees coveted the craps table, in part so they could avoid the cage.

Shea looked to the remaining table$-$game dealers and slotattendants. They would have to offer one table game fewer tonight, which meant the casino would likely leave some gamblers with a little more money in their pockels at the end of the night than Starbright would have hoped. She glanced at the evening shift staff now entering the floor, mentally eliminating the four who had worked the cage last Friday. Shea could move one of the slot attendants into the cage, and then one of the table$-$game dealers to the slots, but then realized she would be disappointing two staff instead of only one. She saw Marcel heading toward the Texas Hold $\text{'}$Em tables, but she dismissed the idea of moving him to the cage. He had covered for another last$-$minute absence in the cage last Saturday.

Her gaze rested on Cecilia. Shea knew Cecilia handled disappointment better than some of the others, but that meant she was called upon all too frequently to cover these absences$.$ Just then, Shea saw Gabe walking in and recalled he was set to deal blackjack. She went to tell him the news that he would be working in the cage that night:

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What recommendations would you make for Shea to improve her implementation of job rotation? How could she make the system fair to all employees $($including Angelo following his absence$)?$

What are some other strategies that Shea could use to enrich the cashier job?

How would you go about conducting a job analysis for the cage attendant job? Referring back to S Figure $2-2,$ make an action plan for each of the six steps.

The table games have a clear hierarchy in terms of staff desire to work at them. with the craps table the most desired, followed by other table games, then the slots, then working as a cashier. How is job analysis useful in determining hiring, training. and compensation requirements across these four jobs in this job family?