How to Handle Predictive Scheduling Laws
A new legislative trend impacting restaurants has developed: predictive scheduling regulations. Often called “Fair Workweek” laws, these scheduling bills generally require that certain employers give lower-income workers advance notice (often 10 or 14 days) of their schedules. Some also require increased pay for workers not given adequate notice of schedule changes and include penalties of varying sizes for violations.
In a recent article for Nation’s Restaurant News, author Ari Hersher discusses how restaurants in areas where these laws are enacted can adapt to the new regulations. He makes the following recommendations for managing a restaurant business in light of predictive scheduling legislation:
- Find out if the law applies to your specific business
- Revise your company policies to accommodate the legislation
- Keep thorough documentation of everything you do relating to predictive scheduling
- Make sure to thoroughly train and inform staff, particularly key team members such as managers
- Make any necessary payroll adjustments, such as reporting any predictability pay clearly on check stubs
- Avoid reacting against workers who request schedule changes in a way that could be deemed retaliatory
- Pay attention to how any and all changes might have ripple effects on your operations
For more details, read the article in full at Nation’s Restaurant News.