2. SUMMARY
• The case study describes a chaotic day at a Burger Boy fast
food restaurant during the Friday lunch rush. The
restaurant was significantly understaffed, with only 8
employees working when 13 were scheduled due to two
call-outs.
• The lack of staff put immense pressure on the employees
present. Marge, who normally worked the fry station, was
forced to work the drive-thru window despite being ill-
suited for that role. This led to mistakes, long drive-thru
times, and Marge becoming overwhelmed to the point of
crying.
• Chuck, working the pay window, was openly grumbling
about the understaffing from the start of his shift. The
author, who was brand new as a cook, struggled to keep up
with the volume on the grill despite prior cooking
experience elsewhere.
3. SUMMARY
• The two managers present, Otis (assistant manager) and Leon (shift supervisor), exhibited
poor leadership. Otis ignored Marge's request to leave at her scheduled end time of
2:30pm to pick up her daughter from school per a prior agreement.
• When Marge had to leave at 2:25pm regardless, it set off a heated confrontation between
Leon and Otis. Leon berated Otis for failing to ensure the lunch shift restocked items,
forcing Leon to do it. Otis angrily countered that he works excessive hours for low wages.
• Their argument exposed deeper issues - Otis felt overworked and underpaid as a salaried
manager, while Leon criticized Otis' lack of leadership. The fight escalated until Otis simply
walked out, abandoning his shift.
4. SUMMARY
Other problematic elements included:
• Lack of training for the author on handling high volumes
• Inconsistent compensation and perceived pay inequities among employees
• A negative culture, with employees like Lucy engaging in disruptive behavior
• Need for better staffing levels, scheduling practices, and communication processes
Overall, the case depicts a fast food restaurant plagued by fundamental management,
operational, and human resources failures that created an unstable, stressful environment
for employees and likely impacted customer service.
5. QUESTION 1: What appear to be the
problems at this Burger Boy?
• There appears to be significant understaffing issues at Burger Boy,
especially on busy days like the Friday lunch rush described. With only 8
employees working when 13 were scheduled, the staff was
overwhelmed trying to keep up with customer demand. This put
immense pressure on employees like Marge who were forced into roles
they were not well-suited for like working the drive-through window.
• The staffing issues seem to stem from high absenteeism, with two out
of the ten scheduled workers calling out sick on this particular day. High
absenteeism can be a sign of poor motivation and lack of commitment
from employees. This could be due to issues with the compensation
system or other managerial practices.
• There are clear communication and process failures as well. Marge had
to leave at 2:30pm to pick up her daughter but Otis ignored her first
request to leave on time. This lack of flexibility and failure to
accommodate employees' non-work obligations can breed resentment.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.
6. QUESTION 1
• There seem to be persistent problems with keeping the store
properly stocked and organized. Leon blatantly calls out Otis for
failing to ensure the lunch shift restocks items during downtime.
This points to a lack of accountability and enforced processes.
• Over-reliance on rewards seems to be an issue. Lucy engages in
disruptive and unsafe behavior (lighting a can on fire) but faces
no consequences because she is rumored to be friends with the
manager. This undermines any notion of consistent policies.
• The case highlights a lack of recognition and appreciation for
good work. The compliment Leon gives the author for keeping
up on the grill during the rush is noted as the first one received
in two weeks on the job.
7. QUESTION 1
• The confrontation between Leon and Otis points to deeper morale issues with
managers working excessive hours for "crappy wages." If compensation levels
for managers are not competitive, it makes attracting and retaining talented
managers very difficult.
• There are signs of a negative culture and lack of motivation, with employees
like Lucy exhibiting poor judgment and Chuck grumbling about staffing levels
right from the start of his shift.
• Lack of adequate training also appears to be a factor, with the author noting
nothing really prepared him for the volume of business on that Friday despite
his experience cooking elsewhere.
• The issues depicted suggest serious problems with Burger Boy's human
resource systems - compensation, scheduling, training, performance
management, and creating a positive workplace culture. Addressing these
systemic issues could significantly improve employee performance and
customer service.
8. QUESTION 2: How many of these problems could be explained by
compensation issues?
One compensation issue that seems to be a factor is the perception that managers like Otis are paid
"crappy wages" despite working excessive hours of 50-60 hours per week. This likely contributes to
frustration, low motivation, and high turnover among the management ranks if their compensation
is not commensurate with the workload.
The wage rates mentioned for non-exempt crew members like Marge ($6.25/hr), the author
($6.50/hr), Chuck ($7.00/hr), and Lucy ($7.00/hr) are very low, likely just slightly above the minimum
wage. These low pay levels could make it difficult to attract and retain talented hourly employees.
While not explicitly stated, the differences in pay rates between crew members doing similar jobs
hints at potential internal pay equity issues. Employees like Chuck and Lucy making $0.75 more per
hour than Marge could breed resentment if their jobs are not significantly different.
9. QUESTION 2
There is no mention of performance-based incentives or bonuses for hourly crew members.
Adding a pay-for-performance component could increase motivation and commitment,
especially for strong performers like Lucy who is noted as the best sandwich assembler.
The intense time pressure during rushes could potentially be alleviated by hiring more staff,
but that would require higher labor budgets and costs. Insufficient staffing budgets driven by
efforts to minimize labor costs appear to be an issue.
Lack of flexibility with Marge's scheduling requests despite an agreement about her availability
could point to rigid scheduling policies that don't properly account for work-life balance
concerns. More flexibility in scheduling could be a low-cost way to improve retention.
10. QUESTION 2
The benefits provided to employees,
especially health insurance and
retirement plans, are not mentioned.
Lack of affordable benefits could make
it difficult to attract and retain
employees, especially full-time ones.
There are no examples of non-cash
rewards, recognition programs or
opportunities for growth that could
motivate and retain top talent without
necessarily increasing base pay levels.
The confrontation between Leon and
Otis hints at a lack of a formal
compensation structure, pay grades or
job pricing discipline that could
prevent inconsistent treatment
between managers.
While compensation is not the only
issue, the combination of low base pay
rates, lack of performance incentives,
insufficient labor budgets, rigid
policies, and potentially inadequate
benefits could all be contributing to
motivation and retention problems
among Burger Boy's workforce.
11. QUESTION 3: How many other problems could be
lessened with diligent use of rewards other than
pay?
The high absenteeism issues that led to significant understaffing could potentially be
improved by offering rewards like bonus paid time off, gift cards, or other recognition for
excellent attendance records.
Instituting an employee-of-the-month program that provides public recognition and small
bonuses/prizes could help motivate employees like Lucy, who is noted as the best
sandwich assembler. This could reinforce and incentivize her talents in a positive way.
Offering non-monetary rewards like preferred scheduling or more desirable shift
assignments could be used to recognize and retain strong performers while motivating
others to improve.
12. QUESTION 3
For managers like Otis who feel overworked, providing autonomy over staffing
decisions, labor budgets, or other aspects of store operations could serve as an
incentive by empowering them.
Expanded training opportunities, coaching, or mentorship programs could be
deployed as meaningful rewards for ambitious employees looking to grow their
skills and get promoted.
Low-cost perks like employee discounts, retail/brand merchandise, company-
sponsored social events or team outings could help build an improved culture
and sense of belonging.
13. QUESTION 3
Symbolic awards or professional certifications relevant to the roles could provide motivating
goals for employees to work toward and get recognized for.
Involving employees in decision-making around operational processes or workplace policies
could serve as an incentive by giving them more voice and ownership.
For achievers like Leon who seem to want more responsibility, offering stretched assignments
or corporate exposure could be deployed as motivating non-cash rewards.
While pay is important, creative use of recognition, benefits, work-life balance initiatives,
training, and involvement could potentially offset some of the motivation and retention issues
in a more cost-effective manner.
14. QUESTION 4
Are hours of work a reward?
What might explain why I was happy to
be working 20 hours per week, but Chuck
was unhappy with 30 hours per week?
How might schedules be used as a
reward?
15. QUESTION 4
The case highlights how hours of work were viewed quite
differently by employees. For the author working only 20 hours
per week, this was seen as a positive, while Chuck grumbled
about having 30 scheduled hours. This suggests that preferences
around hours can vary considerably among the workforce.
For some employees like students or those with other
obligations, having a limited part-time schedule may be
preferable and feel like a reward or benefit compared to
expectations of fuller availability. The 20 hour per week schedule
satisfied the author's needs.
However, for those treating Burger Boy as a full-time job like
Chuck, being scheduled for just 30 hours may have felt
insufficient from an income standpoint, leading to frustration
about the limited hours.
16. QUESTION 4
Beyond just total weekly hours, the specifics of how those
hours are scheduled can also act as a reward or deterrent.
Employees may prefer schedules clustered together across
fewer days to maximize consecutive days off.
Alternatively, those with commitments like Marge's need
to meet her daughter may place high value on schedules
that ensure availability during certain periods like after-
school hours.
Schedule consistency and predictability, getting the same
hourly schedule from week-to-week, could serve as an
appreciated reward compared to erratic schedules that
change frequently.
17. QUESTION 4
More desirable shifts, like avoiding the high-pressure lunch rushes
depicted in the case, could be used as a reward for tenured or high-
performing employees.
Having input into schedule preferences or the ability to swap shifts
could be viewed as an empowering reward compared to having
schedules dictated top-down.
For underage workers, schedules that comply with labor laws
restricting late-night or early morning hours may be seen as a
valuable reward.
While often overlooked, thoughtful scheduling practices that
account for employee needs and preferences could absolutely serve
as a low-cost way to improve satisfaction and retention alongside or
even in lieu of direct compensation rewards.
