HotSchedules Releases Enhanced Features to Address Predictive Scheduling Regulations

HotSchedules, which provides a cloud-based intelligent operating platform for the restaurant, retail and hospitality industries, announced the release of enhanced features that address new predictive scheduling regulations enacted in major cities across the country. The breakthrough features – available with HotSchedules’ new cloud-based intelligent back office platform, Clarifi – address the unique scheduling challenges with configurable labor rules, manager alerts to potential compliance violations, shift transaction reporting and continuous electronic documentation. Current and future HotSchedules customers affected by the predictive scheduling regulations are able to turn on and use the predictive scheduling features today.

The release of HotSchedules’ new predictive scheduling features is part of a larger effort to address compliance challenges restaurateurs face. Earlier this year, the company released its new Time & Attendance Module as well as schedule configurations for employees who are minors. The release also closely coincides with New York City’s enforcement of its Fair Work Week legislation, which begins November 26, 2017. Predictive scheduling laws have already been enacted in Seattle and San Francisco with the state of Oregon slated to go into effect in July 2018.

Although the specifics of the regulations vary from state, city and municipality, the predictive scheduling movement aims to minimize scheduling practices that can make it difficult for hourly employees to plan their personal lives around their work hours. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 47 percent of part-time hourly workers ages 26-32 receive a week or less of advance notice for their schedule. Hourly employees and predictive scheduling activists have cited difficulty managing school schedules, childcare, transportation and earnings when they have little-to-no control over their schedules.

HotSchedules helps restaurants manage evolving predictive scheduling requirements with configurable features, including:

• Schedule Audit Report: Including shift transactions and schedule modifications
• Shift Approval Alerts: Notifies managers of minimum time between shifts when approving shift transactions
• Shift Transaction Reporting: Time stamps of the schedule position, as well as documentation for all shift transactions and modifications
• Right to Rest: Notifies managers if they are about to make a decision that could violate predictive scheduling regulations
• Mobile Scheduling App: The HotSchedules App lets employees swap and pick-up shifts, communicate with other employees, receive their schedules on their mobile device and manage time-off and availability