The Industrial Revolution inflicted long hours of tedious tasks in production facilities on human beings who previously had worked at their crafts at home or on their farms. The horror of the Information Age is that scheduling software such as created by Dayforce has shifted marketplace risk onto the workforce from the owners.
As THE NEW YORK TIMES reports, in the hospitality industry and in retail, owners and managers input variables such as weather and the software spit out assessments about how many workers will be needed when. If a soft-drink franchise knows three days later it will be chilly, then it will schedule fewer workers. Consequently the growing number of part time employees might be assigned fewer hours to work. In addition, because their schedule can vary from week to week they have difficulty arranging child care, holding a second job, or even taking courses to better themselves, at least those which require in-person attendance.
The exception to this employment trend is at Macy's at Herald Square in Manhattan. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union struck a deal with the retailer for part time workers with seniority. Their schedule will be available to them six months ahead.
Comments