Bagel Hockey Case
The Bagel Hockey Case describes the work environment of a cafeteria at a training academy. Most of the non-management employees are students, who show very little interest in their jobs. They are satisfied with doing just enough work to retain their positions and not be reprimanded for poor performance. The atmosphere at the cafeteria is very relaxed and even the managers joke with others. Mrs. Laraby is a manager that is in charge of scheduling, hiring, and firing. She promotes a relaxed and casual work environment, but always expects her employees to follow the company guidelines. The staff has a great deal of respect for Mrs. Laraby and even jokes around with her. On the weekend, employees work one eight-hour shift per day. Typically, weekend shifts are very slow with much idle time. Work at the cafeteria is not very glamorous and all of the weekend workers consider their jobs to be a last resort choice. During slow times on the weekend, many of the employees use brooms and a bagel to participate in a game of floor hockey. Other games are played as well and sometimes food is ruined in the process. Sometimes when employees are playing games in the back room, the cafeteria will get busy and one or two workers up front have the responsibility of handling all of the work. When this occurs, the workers in the front can’t inform anyone in the back since they are busy taking customers’ orders. On one particular weekend shift, three employees and one manager were playing a game of hockey in the back room. At the same time, a wave of customers came into the cafeteria, which caused the employees at the grill and cash register to become overwhelmed. By a matter of chance, Mrs. Laraby decided to stop by her office. As she entered the