On-Call Shifts: Setting Clear Expectations And Offering Meaningful Incentives
By Erin Harris, Editor-In-Chief, Cell & Gene
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Several news sources reported recently that New York’s Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, is investigating 13 major retailers, including GAP, J Crew, Sears, and Target on their scheduling practices for their hourly workers. According to the report, Schneiderman’s office says it has learned that a growing number of major retailers are using “on call” systems to manage staff levels so they may quickly adjust schedules according to real-time (or near real-time) traffic data inside their stores and that New York law requires employers to pay workers at least four hours of minimum wage if employees report for a scheduled shift. Spokespeople for retailers involved said the businesses will cooperate with Schneiderman, that their schedules serve the needs of the business and its employees, and that they treat their workers with dignity and respect.
Labor scheduling and employee self-service debacles have seen their fair share of coverage over the past year. Matt Pillar’s From The Editor column in our March/April issue provides a detailed analysis of the painful realities of automated software systems left unattended by actual people à la Starbucks and Kronos. But the “on call” conundrum is different from what we’ve been reading about recently. Here we’re talking employees who are given little notice about the status of their shift (e.g. employees are given little notice that they are no longer needed for their shift, or employees report for their shift but are sent home due to slow traffic). For retailers, it’s important to adequately staff the store based on traffic. For employees, time, wages, child care, elder care, personal situations, and other employment commitments are equally important to the retailer’s need to manage the business. If retailers want to improve their labor scheduling practices and provide employees the self-service features they need to have a say in their schedules, there are several robust workforce management technologies on the market to help them do so. But, there is and always will be a human element to labor scheduling that cannot be ignored. Employees are often the face of the brand. Just as retailers strive to provide the most engaging customer experience, the same goes for its employees. Do wrong by the employees and risk the brand’s good will and credibility not to mention inviting potential legal battles.
New York is among eight states and the District of Columbia that have reporting time laws. As other states set regulations to guard against the misuse of employees’ time, retailers can take proactive steps to ensure their employees feel good about the company’s scheduling practices. Set clear expectations about the company’s scheduling policies and procedures during the hiring process. Retailers who tend to adjust schedules on the fly should clearly communicate that data to potential hires during the interview process so they may decide for themselves whether they’re willing to accept the position. And, perhaps it makes sense to incentivize non-commission-based employees who are able to cover a shift at a moment’s notice. Whether the retailer needs additional staff because traffic is up or an employee called off at the last second, offering the employee who saved the day incentive beyond their hourly wage is a great way to show appreciation.
In the dynamic world of retailing, labor scheduling can be as difficult as it is crucial. Workforce management technologies, industry regulations, and thoughtful, common sense practices help retailers create schedules that meet everyone’s needs.