So what exactly is predictive scheduling? Here is a brief synopsis from a blog written by Diane Saunders, titled; Predictive Scheduling: A Primer for Retail and Hospitality Employers. “Predictive Scheduling requires that employers pay employees for cancelled on call shifts, provide notice to employees of their biweekly schedules, give new workers good faith written estimates of their expected hours and schedules, and uphold the requirement that employers offer extra hours to current part-time employees before hiring new employees or using staffing agency employees.”

So why has this become such a headache for some organizations in healthcare, retail and the food service industry? Some labour groups have bemoaned the fact that since the recession of 2008 there has been a steady increase in the number of low-wage and part jobs in those sectors. Labour advocates have also lamented that unpredictable, back-to-back shifts and last minute changes to employee schedules have made it difficult for these employees and their families to cope. In other words, when employee schedules are constantly changing and/or if they are being called in at the last minute, for a shift that makes it difficult for these workers, especially the ones who are parents, to take their kids to school, or to a doctor’s appointment.

Recently some states have begun to enact laws designed to protect workers rights, regarding scheduling. A recent article by Kate Torone, for HR Dive titled Oregon becomes first state to require predictive scheduling reads, in part;

• Oregon’s governor signed a predictive scheduling bill into law on Aug. 8 that applies to employers in the retail, hospitality and food service industries that have at least 500 employees.
• The law, which took effect immediately, requires that employers provide workers with a “good-faith” estimate of their work schedule when they’re hired and, after that, written schedules seven days in advance. Beginning July 1, 2020, that increases to 14 days. Employers also must pay workers a fee when their schedules change on short notice.
• While some cities have adopted predictive scheduling laws, too, Oregon appears to be the first state to do so.

But what if your business is in a province or state where this does not impact you? Because it is not your region today, does not necessarily mean it won’t be enacted by government officials a year or two from now. The minimum wage hike debate for example, appeared to be going nowhere at first, until, government officials starting feeling pressure from their local constituents, and was forced to do something about it for fear of either alienating their base or accused of being on the wrong side of history. The tide began to shift in the workers favour and then slowly, at first, some states and provinces began enacting laws to hike the minimum wage. At the very least, you should be proactive and take the time to review a workforce management solution that has predictive scheduling capabilities, and is also able to calculate and manage employee hours so, you don’t have to.

With ATS Time and Attendance Workforce Scheduling Application you can:

• Get historical and real-time data are leveraged to generate schedules.
• Avoid schedule conflicts with up-to-date staff availability information and immediately see and correct any conflicts due to overlapping shifts and overtime.
• Schedule employees based on business demand, and avoid shift overlaps and conflicts.
• Incorporate collective bargaining agreements, user qualifications, seniority, skill level and shift preference.
• Manage employee-related attendance excuses and send instant alerts to team members

To learn about ATS Time and Attendance Workforce Scheduling, go to our website, and to reach an account executive call: 866.294.2467. You can also download a demonstration or register to attend one our bi-monthly webinars as well.