Jeffrey Ruzal Quoted in "New Predictive Scheduling Laws: What You Should Know"

Predictive scheduling laws are continuing to hit properties within the nation. While this movement may not be everywhere just yet, it’s growing and impacting higher levels of government. There are ways for properties to get ahead of the game before it’s too late. …

Major coastal cities have adopted variations of these laws over the past few years, including Seattle; San Jose, CA; and New York. “Predictive scheduling is a relatively new movement on the local level with certain cities and other localities having passed laws,” said Jeffrey H. Ruzal, member of Epstein Becker Green, a national law firm with experience in labor and employment laws, and numerous industries, including hospitality. In 2014, San Francisco became the first city in the country to implement predictive scheduling laws. …

“These laws are largely intended to benefit employees in the hospitality and retail industries, where lower-wage-earning employees have a greater need for work time predictability on account of family and other responsibilities, such as supplemental jobs, education and child care,” Ruzal said. …

There are ways for employers to adapt more quickly to predictive scheduling laws. “Employers can overcome such challenges by studying historical trends in employee staffing needs, which may help forecast current and future needs; enact and enforce workplace policies and practices disallowing employees from requesting schedule changes and accommodations without sufficient advance notice; and try to create workplace schedules as far in advance as possible, even in advance of the legally required time periods, to help create a predictable rhythm in the workplace,” Ruzal said. This stresses the need for employers to keep accurate records of employee scheduling.