Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Business
When Does The Devil Make Work? An Empirical Study Of The Impact Of Workload On Worker Productivity, Tom Tan, Serguei Netessine
When Does The Devil Make Work? An Empirical Study Of The Impact Of Workload On Worker Productivity, Tom Tan, Serguei Netessine
IT & Operations Management Research
We analyze a large, detailed operational data set from a restaurant chain to shed new light on how workload (defined as the number of tables or diners that a server simultaneously handles) affects servers’ performance (measured as sales and meal duration). We use an exogenous shock - the implementation of labor scheduling software - and time-lagged instrumental variables to disentangle the endogeneity between demand and supply in this setting. We show that servers strive to maximize sales and speed efforts simultaneously, depending on the relative values of sales and speed. As a result, we find that, when the overall workload …
The Implications Of Worker Behavior For Staffing Decisions: Empirical Evidence And Best Practices, Tom Tan, Serguei Netessine
The Implications Of Worker Behavior For Staffing Decisions: Empirical Evidence And Best Practices, Tom Tan, Serguei Netessine
IT & Operations Management Research
Employees in service organizations such as restaurants are humans, and their productivity is often heterogeneous due to innate abilities, motivation, and environmental factors. However, none of these considerations are taken into account by typical workforce planning models and software packages. In this paper we describe the results of a study on how workers respond to workload, an integral work environment factor, and we provide operational insights to improve efficiency and strengthen restaurant financials. We study a comprehensive data set from a family-style restaurant chain to clarify how workload, which is defined as the number of tables or diners that a …