Dive Brief:
- Facing increasing pressure to curb erratic scheduling practices, Gap announced that it would stop requiring employees to make themselves available for last-minute shifts, according to the New York Times and other media outlets.
- The Times reports that the move makes Gap the latest retailer to move away from “on-call scheduling,” which regulators, workers’ rights groups and some academics say is detrimental to employees and their families.
- On-call scheduling requires employees to call ahead before a specific shift to see if they will be needed, a practice that gives workers little predictability in scheduling.
Dive Insight:
Abercrombie & Fitch, Starbucks and Victoria’s Secret, among others, had already begun phasing out the practice, after New York's Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent letters to more than a dozen retailers back in April, asking for information about the practice.
"Workers deserve stable and reliable work schedules, and I commend Gap for taking an important step to make their employees' schedules fairer and more predictable," Schneiderman said in a statement.
Gap said its five brands — Athleta, Banana Republic, Gap, Intermix and Old Navy — had agreed to stop on-call scheduling by the end of next month and have committed to providing employees with at least 10 to 14 days’ notice, according to Wednesday’s announcement.
The Times and other outlets reported that the Gap released a statement on its blog saying that the company believes that work-life integration enables all employees to reach their full potential and thrive both personally and professionally. (Note: as of this morning, the Gap blog post link listed by several media outlets was returning a "page not found" error). No doubt HR leaders at the retail chains shutting down the practice have already mapped out plans to replace the "on-call" system.
