Reference no: EM133464696

Case study

Donna Moreau was employed for nine years as a room attendant for the Windjammer Hotel. Her work and attendance during that period were considered excellent. The hotel was moderately busy during the week, and then typically filled with tourists on the weekends.

In accordance with a hotel policy requiring two weeks' notification, Donna submitted a "day off" request on May 1, for time off on Saturday, May 15, to attend the 1 p.m. high school graduation ceremony of her only daughter. The hotel was expected to be extremely short of staff on the weekend of May 15 due to some staff resignations and terminations, as well as a forecasted sell-out of guest rooms.

Donna's supervisor, Tara Roach, denied Donna's request for the day off, stating the housekeeping department needed her to work that entire weekend. Donna was visibly upset when the schedule was posted and she learned that her request had been denied. She confronted Tara and stated, "I will be attending my daughter's graduation. I've been a single parent to my daughter for 17 years, and there's no way I am going to miss that day!" Tara replied that she was very sorry, but all employee requests for that weekend off had been denied, and Donna was to report to work as scheduled.

On the Saturday of the graduation, Donna, in accordance with written hotel policy, called in "sick" four hours before her shift was to begin. The hotel was extremely busy and, due in part to Donna's absence, each room attendant who did show up at work was assigned a heavier than average workload, causing a great deal of departmental tension.

Tara, who was angry at what she saw as willful disregard for supervisory authority, and recalling the earlier conversation with Donna, recorded the employee's call-in as an "unacceptable excuse" and completed a form stating that Donna had, in fact, quit her job voluntarily by refusing to work her assigned shift. Tara referred to the portion of the employee manual that Donna signed when joining the hotel. The manual read, in part:

"Employees shall be considered to have voluntarily quit or abandoned their employment upon any of the following occurrences;

1. Absence from work for one (1) or more consecutive days without excuse acceptable to the company

2. Habitual tardiness

3. Failure to report to work within 24 hours of a request to report"

Donna returned to work the next day to find that she had been removed from the schedule. She was also informed that she was no longer an employee of the hotel.

1. Were Tara's actions in the best interests of the hotel? Explain your answer.

2. Assume that accurate information regarding this situation were to become well-known in the local community surrounding this hotel.

Would this information likely increase or decrease the interest of other professional housekeepers in working at the Windjammer in the future? Explain your answer.