2017 ABC Western - Competition - Persuasive

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Last week was our busiest week of the year, you think as you look over your employees’ timesheets, and yet only 11 out of my 16 officers worked this past Sunday--the last day of the rifle deer hunt and one of the busiest days of the year. The state sells over 62,000 permits per year to harvest deer in your region alone.

As the lieutenant of the Capital Region of Utah, you oversee four counties.  Working in these counties are four sergeants and 16 officers. Each officer and sergeant is required to work 171 hours in a four-week period. Because officers can set their own schedules, they are free to distribute the hours however they wish. For example, an officer could work twelve 12-hour days during one two-week pay period and be left with only 27 hours to work during the next two-week pay period.

This past weekend is indicative of a trend you’ve noticed. Over the past six months, coverage on the peak times--Friday nights and weekends--has decreased. While the number of hours worked during peak times increased in October, as it should, you expect at least 400 hours of weekend hours/month. As state-certified law-enforcement officers who enforce all fish and wildlife laws, your officers need to be working at peak times when most people recreate.

When hired, officers receive a letter that includes the following passage: 

Conservation officers are required to work most weekends, including Sundays, throughout their careers. Officers must be willing to work nights, evenings, weekends, and holidays, and they are subject to being called out at all hours. This job is a lifestyle and may not suit everyone nor his/her family. 

How can I get them to do the right thing, you wonder. After some consideration, you come up with several ideas. You could offer a pay differential for work during peak times--officers could be paid an additional $2.50 per hour for weekend and holiday hours. Another option is to offer officers “compensation time.” This is additional time off. For example, if an officer works 80 hours/month during peak times, he or she could receive 4 hours of paid time off.  Overtime (time + a half) could be paid for weekend and holiday hours when total hours worked exceeds the required 171.  You could also implement a competition between sergeants (and crews). The winning team members could receive gift cards to Sportsman’s Warehouse. 

You can find out more about Utah Game Wardens at
http://www.gamewardenedu.org/what-is-a-game-warden/

Case written by Amy Bettridge. You can reach her at amy.bettridge@uvu.edu. 

Your Task

Write a persuasive email to your 20 law-enforcement officers. Encourage them to work more peak hours. Use formal email format with a subject line, an appropriate salutation, the message, a complimentary close, and a signature block. 

Rubric

All  submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria.

1. Content

1. Demonstrates thorough and focused understanding of context and audience.
2. Expresses and executes the document’s purpose clearly.
3. Employs sound logic supported by complete, accurate, and useful data, definitions, examples, and illustrations.
4. Has a consistent point of view and mood.

2. Organization

1. Provides a clear and accurate expression of the document’s organization and purpose.
2. Uses effective and appropriately ordered headings and subheadings as needed to guide readers through the document.
3. Applies emphasis techniques, topic sentences, and reader cues to lead readers quickly and easily to critical ideas and data.
4. Contains effective, well-placed transitions.

3. Style

1. Employs carefully composed sentences and paragraphs.
2. Uses language that is unbiased and completely respectful of reader’s time, needs, and feelings.
3. Uses the best words for the context and audience.
4. Demonstrates detailed, error-free attention to grammar, punctuation, abbreviation, capitalization, number use, and spelling – using these mechanics to clarify the text and make it easy to read.