| Course | MSHR 6610 Aligning Human Resources with Business Operations |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 5 |
| Paper type | Coverage memo |
| Length | About 630 words, 4 pages |
| Format | Memo, APA 7 citations |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | MS in Human Resource Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MSHR 6610 Week 5
Memorandum
To: Operations Director, Customer Contact Center
From: HR Business Partner, Customer Operations
Date: March 20, 2026
Re: Next week short about 90 agent-hours, evenings and Saturday morning: three ways to fill it
The Gap
Next week's schedule is short about 90 agent-hours against what the staffing model requires to reach the 80/30 standard. The shortfall is concentrated in two places: weekday evenings between five and eight o'clock and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Daytime weekday intervals are fully covered. The figures below compare the model's scheduled requirement, which already allows 35 percent shrinkage, with the agents on next week's schedule.
Table 1
Short Intervals Next Week
| Interval | Agents required on schedule | Agents scheduled | Shortfall in agents | Hours short per day | Days | Hours short for the week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekdays 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. | 63 | 57 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 30 | |
| Weekdays 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. | 56 | 51 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 25 | |
| Weekdays 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. | 48 | 45 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 15 | |
| Saturday 9:00 a.m. to noon | 39 | 32 | 7 (average) | 21 | 1 | 21 | |
Composite utility. The four rows total 91 hours. Requirements from the Week 4 staffing model; schedule from the workforce system as of March 19.
What the Gap Means for Customers
If nothing changes, the model predicts that evening service will fall to roughly 35 to 55 percent of calls answered within thirty seconds, with average waits of one to three minutes, and Saturday morning will be similar. Evening and Saturday are when many residential customers call about bills and service moves, so the effect falls on them.
Three Ways to Fill It
Table 2
Three Options for Filling About 90 Hours
| Option | Hours it can supply | Cost | Effect on agents | Risk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voluntary overtime from day-shift agents | About 60 (sign-ups typically fill two thirds) | About $2,500 at time and a half | Long days for volunteers; fatigue by Friday | Uneven sign-ups; Saturday hard to fill | |
| Borrow billing back-office staff trained on the phones | About 25 (six staff, four hours each, plus Saturday) | No extra pay; back-office work delayed | Familiar work for them; backlog grows | Back-office backlog of payment exceptions grows by about a day | |
| Contract overflow vendor for evening queue | Up to 90 | About $4,900 at the vendor's hourly rate | None for staff | Vendor agents cannot handle billing calls; transfers increase | |
Composite utility. Costs are illustrative, using an average agent wage of $27.50 an hour and the vendor's quoted rate.
Recommendation
I recommend a combination: offer voluntary overtime for weekday evenings first, then fill remaining evening hours and Saturday morning with the six back-office staff, and hold the vendor in reserve for any evening where sign-ups fall short by Wednesday. This combination should supply about 85 hours at about $2,500 in overtime pay, keeps billing calls with certified staff and avoids the transfers that vendor agents would create. Gans et al. (2003) note that short-term staffing gaps are commonly filled with overtime and cross-trained staff because they are faster to arrange than hiring; that is the right tool for one week. Koole (2013) adds that holding a flexible reserve, here the vendor, protects service when sign-ups fall short without paying for capacity that may not be needed.
What This Does Not Fix
This memo addresses next week only. The same evening gap has appeared in seven of the last ten weeks. Overtime and borrowing can fill a week, but used every week they wear down volunteers and delay back-office work. Hom et al. (2017) identify workload and schedule strain among the drivers of turnover, which would make the evening vacancies worse. The recurring gap needs a structural answer, which the analyses in the coming weeks will propose.
Decision Requested
Please approve evening overtime and the back-office loan for next week, and authorize the vendor as a reserve up to $2,000.
References
Gans, N., Koole, G., & Mandelbaum, A. (2003). Telephone call centers: Tutorial, review, and research prospects. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 5(2), 79-141. https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.5.2.79.16071
Hom, P. W., Lee, T. W., Shaw, J. D., & Hausknecht, J. P. (2017). One hundred years of employee turnover theory and research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 530-545. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000103
Koole, G. (2013). Call center optimization. MG Books.
Reading the MSHR 6610 Week 5 instructions
This week's memo tells an operations leader how big next week's staffing hole is and how to plug it. State the size and location of the gap in the subject line and first paragraph, using the leader's units. Show the gap interval by interval in a small table, drawing on your staffing model. Explain what the gap means for customers or output if nothing changes. Compare several ways of filling it on hours supplied, cost, effect on employees and risk. Recommend one approach or combination, explain what it does not fix and close with a clear decision request that names the amounts you need approved and the date by which you need an answer.
How the MSHR 6610 Week 5 example is put together
The memo's subject line states the 90-hour gap. A grid shows four short intervals, required and scheduled agents and hours short, totaling 91. A section predicts evening service of 35 to 55 percent if nothing changes. A table compares overtime, borrowed back-office staff and a vendor. A recommendation combines overtime and borrowing, holds the vendor in reserve, citing Gans and colleagues and Koole on flexible reserves, and estimates about 85 hours for about $2,500 in overtime pay. A section notes the gap has recurred in seven of ten weeks, citing Hom and colleagues. A decision request closes the memo. Each option in the comparison is costed in the same currency and hours, which makes the trade-offs plain.
Reading the MSHR 6610 Week 5 rubric
Coverage memos earn credit for clarity and practicality. Stating the gap in the leader's units at the top is weighted heavily. An interval-by-interval table drawn from the staffing model shows the gap is measured, not estimated by feel. Explaining the effect on customers connects staffing to service. Comparing options on several criteria, including effects on employees, shows balanced judgment. A recommendation with a reserve option shows planning for uncertainty. Admitting what a short-term fix does not solve shows honesty. Memos that describe the floor as busy without numbers, propose only overtime or omit a decision request tend to receive lower marks from course instructors. A reserve option for when sign-ups fall short shows planning for what usually goes wrong.
Common MSHR 6610 Week 5 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Start with your staffing model's requirement for next week and compare it with the actual schedule, interval by interval. Add up the hours short. Then list the ways your organization usually fills gaps and estimate how many hours each could supply, at what cost and with what strain on staff. Choose a combination and say why. Students often write that the operation needs more staff without saying how many hours, when or for how long. Another common gap is ignoring the toll repeated overtime takes on employees. Close on the specific approval you need. Pricing the options is often the slow part, and our writers can lay out the cost table with you.
Get a MSHR 6610 Week 5 example written to your instructions
Paste the coverage memo prompt and rubric, with any schedule or requirement figures from your section; otherwise an illustrative week is built for a composite utility floor. You get the memo, grid and options table inside 24 to 48 hours, and the first is on the house. Nothing here draws on an employer's actual roster.
More MSHR 6610 papers and MS in Human Resource Management samples
- MSHR 6610 Week 1: Two Ledgers Discussion Post
- MSHR 6610 Week 2: Service Request Workflow Map
- MSHR 6610 Week 3: Contact Center Demand Analysis
- MSHR 6610 Week 4: Erlang C Staffing Model
- MSHR 6610 Week 6: Theory of Constraints Brief
- MSHR 6610 Week 7: Transition Gap Peer Replies
- MSHR 6610 Week 8: Turnover Cost Analysis
- MSHR 6610 Week 9: Operational Metrics Note
- MSHR 6610 Week 10: Schedule Change Rollout Plan
- MSHR 6610 Week 11: HR Operations Recommendation Memo
- MHRM 6902 Week 5: Competency Claim Discussion Post
- MHRM 6101 Week 5: Supervisor Staffing Memo
- MHRM 6901 Week 5: Capstone Peer Workshop
- MHRM 6801 Week 5: LMX Leadership Assessment
MSHR 6610 Week 5 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MSHR 6610 Week 5 sample paper?
The full coverage memo, grid and option table included, is free below.
How large is the gap in the MSHR 6610 Week 5 memo?
About 90 agent-hours next week, mostly weekday evenings and Saturday morning.
What options are compared?
Voluntary overtime, borrowed billing back-office staff and a contract overflow vendor.
What does the memo recommend?
Overtime first, then borrowed staff, with the vendor held in reserve.
What does the fix not solve?
The recurring evening gap, which appeared in seven of the last ten weeks.