Scenario

First, place yourself into a mid-level management position with approximately three years in the position.

Our company needs to change its work schedule policy for our assembly, fabrication, and general labor workers. All others (administration) will work the standard 40-hour week (Monday through Friday); however, we need to implement changes with the workforce to maintain our competitiveness. We are steadily losing market share of our products, but we're compounding these problems with a lack of productivity focus, particularly in the Human Resources area. The goal of the work schedule changes is to allow us to consolidate profits, increase efficiency, and reduce human resource overhead. As the District Manager, I'm enlisting your thoughts on which course of action is the best to implement. I trust and value your input and need your effort to economize our company.

1. Select a COA (options are listed below) that you feel is the best (at this time) to implement within our district.
2. Explain your decision with references that includes your reasoning for excluding the other options. Think in terms of risks, costs, profits, impact on the employees, productivity, and so forth. As a midlevel manager, you're being given a critically important assignment that will help determine our company's strategic forecasting, budgeting, and objective decisions.

Course of action 1

Keep our regular 40 hour work week (Monday through Friday).

Course of action 2

Work three 12-hour days and one 4-hour day (employee choose their work days).

Course of action 3

Work four 10-hour days and have either Monday or Friday off.

Course of action 4

Implement an open schedule whereby employees work 40 hours on any given days in a 7-day period.

Course of action 5

Develop your own course of action and defend it accordingly.