Exercise $4-3$ Home for the Holidays

Instructions:

This exercise gives you an opportunity to identify and evaluate alternatives for assign$-$

ing employees to work over the holidays $($e$.$g$.,$ Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years$).$

For each of the industry examples below, identify alternatives and the advantages and

disadvantages of each. Identify the best alternative and be prepared to discuss the

rationale for your recommendations. Be sure to consider the nature of the work involved

and the particular situation.

Industry: Retail

You are responsible for scheduling employees at a major grocery store located in a small

college town. There are a few employees who live in the area year$-$round but most are

college students who are not from the area. The store is open $365$ days per year$-$the

only one in the area that is open every day, and customers have come to rely on it for

their last$-$minute holiday needs. All employees, and you, want time off to be with their

families. Your store director has asked you to consider alternatives for meeting the staff$-$

ing needs for the upcoming holiday season and make a recommendation that is fair to

all employees. You need to develop a proposal that works for everyone and prepare to

present it to the store director.