Project management question To maintain the customer\'s schedule, the project ma
ID: 453047 • Letter: P
Question
Project management question To maintain the customer's schedule, the project manager demanded that employees work excessive overtime, knowing that this often led to more mistakes. The company fired a tired worker who inadvertently withdrew the wrong raw materials from inventory, resulting in a dollar 55,000 manufacturing mistake. In the end, the PM was labeled as unethical. She/he did what they thought was in the best interest of the company, but it backfired. Is asking people to work overtime is wrong? Is asking extreme overtime for short periods of time justified? Is demanding overtime from workers can be considered abusive?. Is the PM dishonest if he withheld accurate information and not acting in good faith? What would you have done if you were the PM?Explanation / Answer
a) Asking people to work overtime is fine when the company policy allows it and there is need to do overtime because of the production requirement. However, we have to also see that employee is willing and capable of working overtime and will not commit mistakes.
b) Asking for extreme overtime for the short period is not justified because it will hamper the performance of worker and will lead to disastrous results. It might also lead to employee’s exploitation at the workplace and he might fall ill because of overwork.
c) Yes, demanding overtime from workers can be considered abusive if the overtime crosses the limit set by regulatory authorities and company policy.
d) Yes, if PM withheld accurate information and not acting in good faith, he is dishonest because as a PM, he not only has to show results, but also has to pass accurate results and win the trust of top management and subordinates.
e) If I were the PM, I would have first gone through the company policy and law books to know about the overtime ceiling by company and law. Then I would have accessed the physical capability and mental willingness of the employee to do overtime. In any case, I would not have asked the employee for the extreme overtime.
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