Wal-Mart to use Scheduling-Optimization

[AlphaFrog]

Story on AOL

Early this year, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., using a new computerized scheduling system, will start moving many of its 1.3 million workers from predictable shifts to a system based on the number of customers in stores at any given time. The move promises greater productivity and customer satisfaction for the huge retailer but could be a major headache for employees.


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This is completely ridiculous. I've never had a problem with Wal-Mart's employment practices until now.

Sure, they don't pay the best - but it's completely unskilled labor, so why should they?? And they have decent benefits. But to take an employee who was working 35 hours a week for years and drop them to 12 because they refuse to work nights and weekends is crazy. They at least deserve a solid schedule.

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

This is completely ridiculous. I've never had a problem with Wal-Mart's employment practices until now.

LOOOOOOOOOOOOL so the lack of breaks and lunches was fine, but *GASP* unbalanced scheduling is a problem?

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

Sure, they don't pay the best - but it's completely unskilled labor, so why should they?? And they have decent benefits. But to take an employee who was working 35 hours a week for years and drop them to 12 because they refuse to work nights and weekends is crazy. They at least deserve a solid schedule.

Although I generally think Wal-Mart is pretty reprehensible in a lot of ways, I have absolutely zero problem with this - what duty does Wal-Mart have to keep staff on a schedule that is wasteful?

Do you really think Wal-Mart will have trouble filling these positions if people can't work the 'optimized' hours?

This is nothing but intelligent business - I'm not sure predictable hours are 'deserved' by anyone.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

LOOOOOOOOOOOOL so the lack of breaks and lunches was fine, but *GASP* unbalanced scheduling is a problem?

I'm not really sure who came up with the "lack of breaks and lunches" thing (I know it was in the article, but they didn't go into further detail about it). If you're a floor rep, it's up to you to take your breaks and lunches, and at least at the store I worked for, it was abused, more then skipped. And if they are following company policy, everyone else (i.e. cashiers) is scheduled by the customer service manager for breaks and lunches, and shouldn't be missing them.

Originally Posted by KSig RC

Although I generally think Wal-Mart is pretty reprehensible in a lot of ways, I have absolutely zero problem with this - what duty does Wal-Mart have to keep staff on a schedule that is wasteful?

Do you really think Wal-Mart will have trouble filling these positions if people can't work the 'optimized' hours?

This is nothing but intelligent business - I'm not sure predictable hours are 'deserved' by anyone.

I'm all for cutting overhead, and intelligent business and all that, but I do feel that employers have a responsibility to their employees to treat them decent. I believe this includes predictability in scheduling. There are times that something comes up in my schedule (dr. appointment, interview, etc) and I have to adjust my schedule, my husband's schedule, the babysitter's schedule and it's a nightmare. I couldn't imagine doing that every week, or heck, even every day. And at Wal-mart wages, I wouldn't be able to afford to keep a babysitter on call, that's for sure.

[33girl]

As I discovered in my unfortunate 2-week foray back into retail after 15 years, most places do utilize an "on call" system. Where I was, I could call no earlier than 2 hours beforehand - in other words, I had to put my life on hold to MAYBE work that night - and whether or not you came into work depended a LOT on the individual outlook of whoever the manager on duty was that night. (i.e., some believe in extra coverage, some believe in bare bones-ing it) It was a pain in the ass, but I can understand it. They get penalized if their sales and payroll aren't at a certain ratio.

However, I was a part-time worker. This sounds like it's going to be used for EVERYONE, including those who have Walmart as their one and only job and are considered full-time, which is just not cool at all.

[Kevin]

It's a business decision. While I may not like what it does to some folks who depend on second jobs to support their families, I think the individual workers are more-less at fault for working where they work.

[kddani]

Originally Posted by 33girl

As I discovered in my unfortunate 2-week foray back into retail after 15 years, most places do utilize an "on call" system. Where I was, I could call no earlier than 2 hours beforehand - in other words, I had to put my life on hold to MAYBE work that night - and whether or not you came into work depended a LOT on the individual outlook of whoever the manager on duty was that night. (i.e., some believe in extra coverage, some believe in bare bones-ing it) It was a pain in the ass, but I can understand it. They get penalized if their sales and payroll aren't at a certain ratio.

You're right, some version of this already exists in many stores, particularly mall stores. It's not as complex as this, because Walmart is much bigger, but it's a practice that has been done for a long time. It's smart business. Walmart is just doing a much more advanced version. Having too many people on schedule when the store is dead results in a loss of profit. Having too few people on schedule when it is busy results in loss of sales and cranky customers. This program seems to be able to account for any factor you can think of.

It's not an employer's job to work around their employees' lives. Sure, there are some things that a good employer would do- work around medical appointments, etc. But employees in all walks of life and in all salary levels have to work their lives around their jobs.

[KSigkid]

I don't see a problem with this, and if any of Wal-Mart's workers have a problem, they should seek other employment. This scheduling system isn't anything new, and they really have to do what's best for their business. Now workers know the system, and if they'd like to seek other employment with more convenient hours, they can do so.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

I don't see a problem with this, and if any of Wal-Mart's workers have a problem, they should seek other employment. This scheduling system isn't anything new, and they really have to do what's best for their business. Now workers know the system, and if they'd like to seek other employment with more convenient hours, they can do so.

Spoken like someone who's never had Walmart decimate his town and basically eliminate any other retail outlet that might have "more convenient hours."

Not to mention, a lot of the people working there don't exactly have PhDs.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Spoken like someone who's never had Walmart decimate his town and basically eliminate any other retail outlet that might have "more convenient hours."

Not to mention, a lot of the people working there don't exactly have PhDs.

Whose fault is it that Wal-Mart workers are not qualified to work elsewhere? Wal-Mart's? Nope.

These employees could be making great money right now as plumbers, electricians, college degrees, etc. Instead, for whatever reason, they thought that retail was their career of choice.

[valkyrie]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Spoken like someone who's never had Walmart decimate his town and basically eliminate any other retail outlet that might have "more convenient hours."

I hate crap like this. Objectively, I understand the concept of business practices and making money, yada yada. That said, on a personal level, I find Walmart evil and symbolic of all that is bad in our society. I would never even consider shopping there in a million years, and I wish so many Americans weren't so fixated on saving a few dollars that they're willing to shop somewhere that operates as Walmart does. Here I go being a hippie again, but I'd rather pay higher prices for things than support Walmart, and it's beyond me why more people don't feel the same way.

[Drolefille]

Walmart only "decimates" a town because people shop there. If a city really wanted to keep them away they'd simply boycott and not give in to the lure of lower prices.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Spoken like someone who's never had Walmart decimate his town and basically eliminate any other retail outlet that might have "more convenient hours."

Not to mention, a lot of the people working there don't exactly have PhDs.

Actually, that's incorrect, as it's happening right now to my hometown. I admit I was a bit harsh in the post, harsher than I meant to be when I posted. As you noted earlier, it's a real pain in the neck for those involved, but I can understand (from their point of view) why they would want to go to the system. I can also see where WalMart workers would think it was unfair.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Walmart only "decimates" a town because people shop there. If a city really wanted to keep them away they'd simply boycott and not give in to the lure of lower prices.

I said the same thing when Walmart came to my town, but then again I didn't have to feed a family on near poverty wages. For them, the price is everything. The sick thing is, Walmart reduces prices, drives everything out of business, and then puts their prices back up. People are finally getting wise to it, but it's taken a long time.

And Kevin - college degrees, plumbers' school, electricians' school (even if you do internships) COST MONEY. Which many of Walmart's employees simply DO NOT HAVE.

Don't misunderstand - from a MONETARY point of view, I completely understand why they're doing this. My best friend is a retail manager and this is the kind of stuff that keeps her up at nights - did we go over budget? did we make plan? Is my job on the line because we didn't have enough sales to match our hours? It is the right MONETARY decision. But for a company that's taken so many PR black eyes lately and keeps saying that they care about their employees, it's a really stupid, not to mention uncaring thing to do.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by Kevin

These employees could be making great money right now as plumbers, electricians, college degrees, etc. Instead, for whatever reason, they thought that retail was their career of choice.

Not everyone is cut out for college or trades. As big of goobers as we have working here at the plumbing company, there are definitely less-skilled people that work at WalMart. (I realize that not everyone who works there is unskilled, but there are many who are).

[valkyrie]

Originally Posted by 33girl

And Kevin - college degrees, plumbers' school, electricians' school (even if you do internships) COST MONEY. Which many of Walmart's employees simply DO NOT HAVE.

Well, that's their fault! If they were born into poverty and never got an education and don't know how to succeed and make money, it's their fault!

(LOL that's not my argument, but I'm guessing it's what Kevin would say.)