human ressource management
Two Olympic gold medalists in skiing, married in 2014, Jason andLeAnn Benson opened Adventurers and Explorers (A&E) outdoorsporting store, which sells gear and clothing. The couple's conceptis different than many other sporting goods stores in that theydesign and sell their own lines of specialized products. LeAnn'sfocus is on the design of products and Jason's focus is on thefinancials. As a result, no one is worrying about theorganizational policies or controls.
Jason and LeAnn encourage their employees to continue theirfavorite outdoor sports, from skiing to mountain climbing,white-water rafting, and so on. Employees are given two weeks ofpaid vacation. However, many employees were allowed to take up totwo months off at half pay so they could fulfill their life-longdreams. Samantha just returned from a successful climb of MountEverest. Beth will use her two months off to backpack aroundEurope. Around the office, employees joked about the \"weekend flu,\"taking Friday through Monday off. The office often ran belowstaffing levels depending on the season. In addition, because Jasonand LeAnn were gold medalists, they attract more employees who areinterested in skiing. The skiers want time off during peak season.This is also the peak time for A&E orders and servicerequests.
In the last three years, the company has grown from 30 to 100employees. Jason and LeAnn need advice on controlling dailystaffing levels so A&E meets or exceeds customer expectationsfor responsiveness without sacrificing company identity. Choose oneof the issues facing A&E and propose a solution and rationalefor your response:
- Paid vacation along with the most valuable times for vacation(peak season time off).
- Attendance issue: The \"weekend flu\" (Friday-Monday).
- A&E needs to know whether customers are satisfied withtheir products and whether the company is responsive to thosecustomers' needs as outdoor enthusiasts.
