OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Structural Frame Worksheet

Worksheet Objectives:
1. Describe the structural frame
2. Apply the structural frame to your personal case situation

Complete the following making sure to support your ideas and cite from the textbook and other
course materials per APA guidelines. After the peer review, you have a chance to update this and
format for your Electronic Portfolio due in Module 6.

1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

I have an internal role in the organization. I worked for BBVA for 4 years and then
worked for PNC for one additional year when PNC bought BBVA. I was a teller for
about 3 years and then transitioned into a banker for the remaining 2 years. So, I was able
to get one year of banking with both companies which was great because both had
different ways of doing things and products, so I was able to get more of a thorough
training experience.
The situation that I chose is one that had continually frustrated me and other workers.
When I started with BBVA I was part-time and eventually went to full time in a new
branch. At the time we had a full staff, and everyone got along great. One of the workers
decided to leave and pursue his interest in becoming a PO and left the bank. At the time,
the banks had what they called “floating tellers” who didn’t have a home branch, but
instead floated to different branches when they were short staffed in order to give them
coverage. While we were trying to fill this new position, this floating teller came to help
us, let’s call her Sue. Now Sue seemed great, she was experienced and had been with the
bank a few years at this time. She seemed to fit in great with the team and when the
district manager asked her if she wanted to stay on full time, she agreed. This is where
the trouble started.
For the 3 years I was at that branch, Sue would continuously call out of work. This was
not just a random day here and there but every week. As soon as she got the position
permanently, that next week she called out for 3 days. Eventually management got
involved and Sue provided a FMLA note for job protection. Once she had this, she was
allowed to use all her sick and vacation days and after that, if she called out, she would
not get paid but still have job protection. The issue the branch had with that is that she
would be out every week, sometimes 2 days and most often she would be out the whole
week. This went on until I couldn’t take it anymore and left the branch. It was frustrating
because we were continually short staffed. She would always be gone during the busiest

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 times in the month and always on Mondays and Fridays. It started to feel that it was being
planned more than she was actually sick. I have since left the branch but have heard this
is still going on and management is looking for any way to let her go. I understand that
she has a medical note, but I think this is where we should have hired maybe a part-time
person for extra coverage or allow her to work part-time instead and hire a full-time staff
member. It was constantly frustrating have lines to the door because we only had one
teller. There were times I got no lunch, or times I would have lines of people waiting and
I would have to make them wait just so I could go to the bathroom as I got no breaks. It
became a terrible work environment, and I was so happy when I transferred.

2) Describe how the structure of the organization influenced the situation.

The structure of the organization started at the branches, and then we had our corporate
office in Tucson and Phoenix. In the branch we had the tellers, and bankers. The tellers
had a teller manager, and the bankers would report to the branch manager as well as the
tellers and the teller manager.

When Sue started calling our continuously, it got the attention of the teller manager, who
told the bank manager. After so many call outs it usually would start with a verbal
warning, then a written warning, and then termination. Once Sue had received the written
warning, she then presented to the branch manager her FMLA note. This then had to be
sent to HR. We have a district manager who is in charge of the branches in Tucson and
Phoenix, and she got involved and was made aware of the situation. She came and visited
the branch, but with her note there was nothing she could do.

3) Recommend how you would use structure for an alternative course of action
regarding your case.

In this case I do think different things could have been done. I understand that with her
FMLA note that she has a medical exemption and job security. But once this started
becoming a weekly thing, I think the branch manager and the district manager should
have sat down and figured out a solution. I heard through the grapevine that the district
manager and my bank manager were not on the best of terms, so it made it difficult to get
on the same page.
I think there should have been 3 possible choices in order to keep her job intact, and also
help the others in the branch that this was affecting.
Option 1- Hire a part-time teller. When I first started, I was 30 hours, and would cover
mostly the lunch rushes and the busy days like first and third of the month, and tax
season. This would have help ensure us help when she was not there.

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 Option 2- Hire a full-time worker and have her be part-time. If she is hardly there
working 1-2 days a week, then give her part-time work, enough hours so she still gets the
medical benefits and such, but not enough where the branch depends on her.
Option 3- Make her a floating teller again. This way she can go where it’s needed, if she
available, but not where she’s a permanent member who affects branches on a regular
basis.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about this frame.

I am not the manager, so I don’t have all the information on this situation. I know my
branch manager was extremely frustrated by this situation and tried every avenue that he
could to figure out a situation. I think it was hard and we had our hands tied with the
FMLA note and thus HR and the protection the note gave her. I did later find out the
reason for her note was IBS, I don’t know enough about this medical condition to be able
to comment on it, but I did know two other coworkers who had this as well and hardly
ever missed work. There were times when we knew already the days she was going to
call out because she always called out on the busy days.
I think if I had been the manager, I would have gotten the district manager involved and
HR and sat down and figured out a different solution. I would have made sure to really
put my foot down and advocate for my team. Even maybe getting my team involved,
having them speak to the manager directly or letters. I would have gotten the head of HR
involved and Legal if necessary. PNC is a huge corporation and even if we couldn’t let
her go, there had to have been other alternatives.

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 Reference or References