Change is not always a good thing

[Retail Associate]

A few weeks ago our store switched over to computer scheduling. We were told it was coming and all of us knew things were gonna get ugly. We just didn't know HOW ugly.

I have been back at this hellhole store for nearly three years now and except for the weeks following Christmas when there is always a cut in hours, I have worked 32 hrs per week on a regular basis. I have another part-time job which causes me to be unavailable a few days a week. This has never been an issue...until now.

Supposedly, the computer will only schedule you for days/hours you are available. Yet it has totally ignored my availability and keeps scheduling me for days when I work my other job.

Upper management has told us the reason they've gone to computer scheduling is to prevent all the 'tweaking' they have to do with the schedules and to ensure that there are enough people to cover during the busiest times of the week/day.

Bullshit!

Everyone in the store has been affected by this. There's never enough cashiers. Our wonderful contract states we're only guaranteed 12 hrs/wk so some cashiers are only getting (2) 6 hr days. There are now hours during the day when absolutely no one is scheduled in our dept. That means no one to let SCs into the fitting rooms, no one to cover jewelry, no one to answer the three phones that ring constantly...no one.

People who have been with the company for 20+ years are no longer working regular shifts. One day they may start their shift at 6AM and another day at 11AM. No one has the same start time from one day to the next which makes it very difficult to develop a regular sleep pattern. Last week in the four days I worked I started at four different times. Anywhere from 10AM to as late as 4:30PM.

Part-time people will no longer get 8 hour shifts and some are only being scheduled for 4 hours. This week I have a 5½ shift which is supposed to include a ½ hr lunch. Since I make just over minimum wage, it's hardly worth it to drive in for 5 hours of work.

We've been so understaffed for months that we can't get our work done in 8 hours. Yet with this new schedule they expect us to do everything, including running a lane for possibly 2 hrs a night because there's never enough cashiers, and get everything done in our depts.

The whole place is in an uproar. I've never seen so many angry employees in one place at one time. Upper management called a meeting last week to tell us: "Stop being so angry. Our sales are so low that this is the best solution. Whatever you do, don't take your anger and frustrations out on the customers."

I've lost 6-8 hours per week which is a big chunk of change out of my meager monthly income. I was barely making ends meet before. There's no way I can pay my bills on what they're willing to so graciously give me.

They're messing with peoples' livelihood and can't understand why there's so much anger. Where do these cheapskates come from?

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Edited to add: On top of all this, they're hiring new people! Our hours are slashed and they're hiring new people.

I'm not bitter.

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[Slytovhand]

Those computerised roster programs can be really good, so I'd suggest (if you can) to give it a bit of time to sort stuff out.

On the other hand, they are effective given the data that is entered into, and needs someone competent to interpret that data, and to action issues when it does things that don't work.

So - I'd be inclined to say it's not the fact that it's now computerised, but more that whoever is responsible for it all is, in a word, incompetent with it.

Ok - it may take some time for that person/s to get used to it, but it certainly something that management needs to address. If things worked well before, but they don't work now, and that's the only change that has been made, sanity suggests that's where the problem is.

It might take a few months, but in the end it can be good... again, with someone who is competent.

[Gurndigarn]

Edited to add: On top of all this, they're hiring new people! Our hours are slashed and they're hiring new people.[/COLOR]

You don't want to hear this, I know, but I suspect they're expecting a few people to leave over it. You say you have a second job. Any chance that they can bump your hours up?

Those computerised roster programs can be really good, so I'd suggest (if you can) to give it a bit of time to sort stuff out.

On the other hand, they are effective given the data that is entered into, and needs someone competent to interpret that data, and to action issues when it does things that don't work.

And entering all that information, and keeping it up to date, usually takes more time than simply making out a schedule by hand.

[Ayche]

My store switched to a computerized schedule system about a year ago. During that time, they always said "wait a few weeks, it will get better." It still hasn't. My manager used to take 2 hours to make up a schedule for all of her departments. Now it takes her 6 to fix what the computer makes up. She has to change the schedules almost daily, what with hour cuts and the like.

The computer system can be great, but not when it doesn't work the way it should. I have a guy in my department who's set his availability 5 times in the past few months, all to the same thing, and they have all been approved. But when the schedule is up? he's scheduled when not available.

[KellyHabersham]

My personal opinion is that computerized scheduling works best if that's the only job you have, and you have your own transportation to work.

[AKWalMartCartGuy]

my store did it a couple months ago, a manager put my correct schedule into the computer, I watched her do it, but it still keeps effing it up(and I don't really care enough to keep getting it fixed, I have to make 3 trips to town now anyways)

our 1-10 was given 3:30-12:30 and 7-4 in the same week this week. he's NCNSing the 7-4s because the manager refused to fix it, but he let the cart pushers know so it's all good

our 4-1 was put on 1-10, he still doesn't know he's accumulating attendance issues, and the CSMs haven't noticed

I usually work 6-10 on weeknights(I get to be the guy that compensates for weekends having busy afternoons and weekdays having busy nights) and we have a guy who usually works 3-7 on weekdays so what were the shifts assigned for 2 nights this week? me 3-7, him 5-9

on the bright side, my schedule is the same next week and third week, maybe it's the start of a trend


my personal opinion is that a computer should come up with shifts and not put names to them, have a manager put names to the shifts and since it won't work out perfectly tweak it where necessary