Question

: You are the manager of a small computer programing firm with only seven employees. Rupert Johnson, a programmer who has worked for the company for five years, has developed the habit of coming in to work anywhere form ten to thirty minutes late most days. The other employees have come to you to complain about Rupert’s constant tardiness, saying that it is unfair that they have to take up his slack in the morning routine. You have promised to call Rupert in and talk to him about the problem. When you call Rupert in to your office to talk to him, he opens up to you and explains that about a month ago his ex-wife unexpectedly gave him full custody of his seven-year-old son. She literally left the boy on his doorstep one Saturday and disappeared. Rupert admits that he has been struggling to get into a good routine with his son. The child’s school will not let students arrive before 7:30 am and even if he gets the boy to school at that time, the morning commute and traffic will always make him a few minutes late. Using the decision making model, come up with a decision on how to handle this problem that is fair to Rupert, the other employees, and your company. List each step and describe what you would do or think about.

Answer 1

Step 1: Gather Information: I would gather information about the situation from Rupert, the other employees, and anyone else that could have knowledge of the situation.
Step 2: Identify Issues/Goals: I would identify the goals of Rupert, the other employees, and the company in this situation.
Step 3: Generate Options: After identifying the different goals, I would brainstorm possible solutions to the problem and generate a list of viable options.
Step 4: Evaluate Options: Once I have the options, I would evaluate each option to determine its possible outcome and the effect it would have on Rupert, the other employees, and the company.
Step 5: Make Decision: After analyzing the different options, I would make a decision on the best course of action to take.
Step 6: Implement: Lastly, I would implement the decision and make sure that everyone involved is informed of the decision and how it will be implemented.