Answer: The manager will require thirteen employees to handle the customer orders for the upcoming year.
Explanation: We will determine the necessary number of workers step-by-step.
STEP 1: Determine the projected number of customers for next year, given a 15% growth.
15,000 × 15% = 2250
Thus, the anticipated total of customers is
2250 + 15,000 = 17,250
STEP 2: Calculate the hours needed to fulfill all customer orders for the next year; as it takes 1.5 hours per order.
17,250 × 1.5 = 25,875 hours
STEP 3: Figure out the hours available per worker annually; considering that 2% of their time is taken for personal breaks.
2000 × 2% = 40 hours
Thus;
2000 - 40 = 1960 hours
STEP 4: Assess the number of workers necessary to accommodate 17,250 customers; given that each employee provides 1960 hours and the total hours required is 25,875 hours
25,875 ÷ 1,960 = 13.202
Hence, the manager needs 13 employees to manage the orders from customers.