Cases

I manage people at a logistics company in Melbourne, and the board has asked me to recommend a position before the end of the week. Port delays have left us with a backlog that will take weeks to clear at normal staffing, and our biggest client is threatening to move the contract if we cannot catch up by month end. The executive proposal is to mandate Saturday overtime for warehouse staff with seven days' notice, at penalty rates, for the next six weeks. The warehouse has been running on a skeleton crew for months. Two near-miss incidents last month were fatigue-related, and several of our most reliable operators have told me they are already stretched thin with family commitments. Managers are split: some say overtime is standard practice in logistics at this time of year and the contract must be honoured, while others say you cannot fix a staffing problem by grinding down the staff you already have. I have to give the board one clear recommendation. What is the right call?