Primary Topic- Employee Problems and Problem Employees Additional Topics-Communication; Leadership

You are the administrative director of the hospital's department of radiology. One of your more troublesome areas of late has been special procedures; you have chroni¬cally had difficulty recruiting and retaining special procedures technologists. You presently have your allotted full staff of three special procedures technologists, but these people are fully utilized and at least two of them have recently made comments about the staffing level being inadequate for the workload.

Your senior technologist, Arthur Moths, has been especially vocal in his comments claiming understafinatin the department. Several es, and as recently as Monday of this week, Morris spoke with you concerning his perception of the need for another special procedures technologist. Today, Wednesday, September 9, you received the following note from Moths:

"As I suggested I would do in our conversation of Monday this week, I am going on record notifying you that additional technologist help for special procedures must be available by Monday, September 21. If you are unable or unwilling to provide another special procedures technologist, I will be unable to continue in my present position beyond Friday, September 18."

Questions:

1. What should you do about the ultimatum delivered by Arthur Moths? Why?

2. Identify the key issue in the case and describe why it presents a significant problem.