In a department facing a staffing shortage due to an employee's failure to report, what should you do first?

• A. Notify your supervisor by telephone, and be given advice
• B. Operate short until other arrangements can be made
• C. Hold the entire staff, and notify the Chief Administrator
• D. Require everyone to work overtime

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is to follow proper chain of command and seek guidance from your supervisor before taking action when a staff member doesn’t report for duty. Notifying your supervisor by telephone gets official direction on how to cover the absence and ensures you’re acting within policy, not making unilateral decisions. This preserves accountability, maintains fairness, and helps arrange coverage in the correct order—without overreacting or imposing measures that could violate rules or create unnecessary burden.

If you handle it without direction, you might short-staff the department in an inappropriate way, or trigger drastic steps that aren’t authorized. Holding the entire staff or demanding overtime overshoots what’s appropriate to do first, and trying to operate with a bare minimum without guidance can degrade service and workload fairness. By contacting the supervisor first, you set a proper plan in motion and can follow established procedures for coverage and communication.