Dive Brief:
- Retailer Abercrombie & Fitch plans to discontinue on-call shifts in New York this year, dropping a requirement for employees to remain available in case they're called to work on short notice, the company confirmed Thursday, according the Associated Press.
- It was one of 13 major retailers sent letters in April by the New York Attorney General's Office, which questioned the short-notice shifts and possible violations of the state requirement to pay hourly staff for at least four hours when they report for work.
- Abercrombie Senior Vice President Robert Bostrom said in a letter Wednesday that beginning in September, the New Albany, Ohio-based company will discontinue call-in shift scheduling in New York by year's end, with a long-term goal of ending it nationally.
Dive Insight:
The chain's employees will get schedules a week in advance that list all shifts they are required to work in the coming week, Bostrom wrote. The company will address unanticipated staffing needs by letting employees decide whether to receive email alerts and choose to fill open shifts.
It will train all store managers in New York on all aspects of the new program and instruct them not to overschedule then cancel shifts to compensate.
New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said that the security of a definite work schedule enables people to make reliable child care and elder care arrangements, pursue education and reduce the strain on family life. "Unpredictable work schedules take a toll on all employees, especially those in low-wage sectors," he told the AP.
This decision is part of the national trend that includes retail workers bill of rights and other potential legislation focused on making the lives of low-wage, hourly workers in retail less stressful. The decision by the chain also comes on the heels of a federal class action suit over its "look policy" that was recently certified in court.
