Case

You are a HR practitioner in the provincial government, and you have received notice that the union will be grieving discipline meted out by a manager to a unionized employee. The employee organized a half-day meeting and failed to provide soft drinks and snacks as had been past practice (coffee and water were provided). Although there were no explicit directions given to the employee to provide soft drinks and snacks, the manager felt this deviation from past practice embarrassed the government in front of business stakeholders, so the manager suspended the employee without pay for three days (in accordance with the collective agreement).

Upon meeting with the union and the employee, you discover that the governments purchasing guidelines require three quotes prior to authorization of any purchase. In this case, acquiring three quotes and filling out the authorization paperwork for $17 in soft drinks and chips would have taken the employee approximately two hours. The employees wage is roughly $50 per hour. The employee asserts that spending $100 in staff time to provide $17 in unnecessary drinks and snacks to senior bureaucrats was not a good use of taxpayers money, so she decided to limit refreshments to water and coffee.

The union asks that the discipline be reversed, that the three-days of pay be returned to the worker, and that the matter be removed from the workers personnel file. The union indicates that it will pursue the grievance to arbitration if its demands are not met. The cost of arbitration to the government will be approximately $25,000.

A brief phone call with the manager reveals that the manager is adamant that the discipline must stand. She will not have employees embarrassing her by exercising their own judgment. It is important that you maintain as positive a relationship with the manager as possible because the managers spouse is your direct supervisor.

The collective agreement gives the managers boss (the assistant deputy minister) final authority over whether or not the discipline stands. You must write a 700-word memo to the assistant deputy minister to summarize the issue, provide the assistant deputy minister with options, and make a recommendation.

Instructions

1. This assignment has two components:
   1. a memo of approximately 700 words.
   2. a 1000-word reflection and analysis of your memo. Full sentences and paragraphs are required, although you may use bulleted or numbered lists where they increase clarity.
2. Before writing the memo, consult the tipsheet Writing Memos at the bottom of the HRMT 386/ORGB 386 course website. When writing the memo, consider the different options available to the government and the pros and cons of each. Then begin drafting your memo.
3. After writing your memo, reflect on and analyze your memo, and address the following questions in about 1000 words:
   1. What organizational goals were you trying to achieve in writing this memo?
   2. If the government does not reverse the discipline, how might the union exert pressure on the government? What are the risks associated with these tactics?
   3. Did the managers position cause you any discomfort? (Hint: it should have.) What was the nature and cause of this discomfort?
   4. Why did you make the recommendation that you made?
4. Clearly reference the source of any information that you paraphrase or quote directly, including material you find in the Study Guide. Please use APA Style. For help on using APA format, visit OWL at Purdue UniversityUsing APA Format or consult the AU Centre for Psychology APA Style Tutorial.
5. Before you start your assignment, review the information about interpretations of and penalties for plagiarism and academic misconduct in the Athabasca University Calendar.