You work for the Customer Service Division of Mountain Bay Power Company. You have been assigned to a committee to allocate 20 hours of overtime to the staff of the district office. This overtime will be necessary for the foreseeable future.

There are 5 people on the staff. They monitor customer records, billing, payments, and collections. Answering customer inquiries, opening and closing accounts are a major part of their job. The 5 employees are all considered excellent (performance is similar by comparison) and each has stated an interest in working overtime.  The office is congenial and has good morale. There is a small college in the area and this office is one of the few good places to work, although salaries are modest. Many students from the high school and college leave town to find jobs.

Again, your committee’s task is to assign the 20 hours of overtime among the 5 employees. Your only constraints are that you cannot just give 4 hours to each employee, and not every one of them needs to be given overtime hours. Overtime is 1.5 the hourly wage regardless of employment status meaning (according to local law) part time workers are also paid time and a half for overtime work.

Some background on the 5:

Chris – is 22 years old, has been with the company four years and has 3 children

Chris is married and they have had one kid after another so money is tight. Chris’ spouse is always creating pressure to find extra work, and Chris does so whenever possible. They spend much of their spare time raising chickens and vegetables to feed the family.

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Pat – is 27, has been with the company 10 years, and is the senior person in the office.

Pat gives 10% of earnings to the church and is highly regarded for willingness to help with church responsibilities. For the past 2 years, Pat has been building a small house (during spare time) and progress is slow because of the need to save up for materials. Pat is single but hopes to find the right person and get married. Pat feels seniority entitles first consideration for new opportunities (such as OT).

Sam – is 21. The company typically employees 2 college students half time. They may study at the office when work is slow.

Sam’s earnings help to support younger brothers as it has been difficult for their mother since their father died. Sam has been borrowing money to pay for school while carrying a full load in business administration and maintaining a good GPA. Sam will be a junior this year and wants to stay with the company after graduation. Sam has heard in class that some social/demographic groups have a more difficult time getting ahead in the professional world. Sam’s personal goal is to get a fair share of “face time” and be “assertive in a pleasant way.”

Jessie – is 25 started at the same time as Sam – 2 years ago – is the second half time student and plans to graduate in one year.

Jessie is engaged.  They live together, share expenses, and are always pressed for money.  Jessie drives an old car that always needs repair. Jessie wishes to enter the MBA program next fall and is looking to save up enough to be able to work half time and go to school half time.

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Val – is 20 and is the newest employee. Val just began in a career position after graduating from a 2 year college.

Val is married and lives with the in-laws to save money, yet this arrangement is uncomfortable. Val’s spouse works half time not yet having found anything full time. The two are very frugal because their parents have promised to pay half the down payment on a starter home if they can save half. They do not plan to have children until after this is accomplished. Val hopes to prove that capable performance and a 2 year degree (versus 4 year Bachelor’s degree) will lead to work in management. Val plans to take a computer course in the near future for personal development.