Hospitality industry employers know that scheduling the right number of workers on any given day – or shift – is a challenge. In addition to unpredictable customer patterns, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, labor shortages, and record turnover rates add to the difficulty of keeping operations running smoothly. You might be tempted to rollout “on-call” scheduling polices to help respond to varying levels of customer traffic and resolve last-minute staffing shortages when workers call out sick or don’t show up for a shift. While these policies are permissible in many locations, some states and localities have “predictive scheduling” laws that limit such practices and impose penalties when employees aren’t given sufficient notice of schedule changes. What do you need to know about these laws, and how do they impact your scheduling practices?
On-Call Scheduling
Restaurant and lodging employers typically want their employees to be flexible so they can respond to staffing shortages or unexpected changes in customer traffic. An on-call scheduling system can help businesses meet customer service needs by designating certain employees to be available – either regularly or on a rotating basis – to report to work on short notice or with no advance notice, if needed. The designated employees will usually call at a certain time to see if they should report to work. Often “on call” workers are those that are sent home first if guest traffic is slower than expected.
Such practices have...
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