I think that it is very important to have open communication at this time along with very good listening skills. With that in mind, I would start off by talking to everyone that said that they would quit if they didn't get the time off to ask them why they feel that way. I would make sure that I tell each of them that I can not guarantee them the holidays off since we work retail, but I can try to work around their schedules. Once I get their side of the story I would start to make a plan I would start by telling all the employees that whoever works the holiday will get time and a half, then I would tell the employees that most likely everyone will work at least one day for the Memorial Day weekend. If child care was a problem I would try to work around that and see if they could work Saturday or Sunday to see if maybe that would be easier to get child care then Monday would be. If the problem is preparing for college exams then I would ask if a 6-hour shift would really hurt them to work when they can still study on breaks and on lunch, to see if that helps the students get on board with working the weekend. For the employees that have family commitments or sick parents, I would see if they would be willing to work a morning shift so that they can still take care of their parents or their family commitments.
