On call shift

On-call scheduling, sometimes referred to as on-call shifts are processes used in business where employee work schedules are intentionally unpredictable. Employees assigned to such shifts must call their employer, typically an hour or two before a scheduled shift, to find out if they will be assigned to work that day. This is common practise both in the United States and the United Kingdom where it is referred to by the term "zero hour contract", even though it is a recent contract used to enable this practise.

Retailers have been under intense pressure from labor groups, regulators, and their own employees to end on-call scheduling.New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, along with officials from attorneys general offices from seven other states and the District of Columbia, sent letters to a number of large retail companies regarding their use of 'on-call' shifts. Schneiderman stated "On-call shifts are unfair to workers who must keep the day free, arrange for child care, and give up the chance to get another job or attend a class – often all for nothing," "On-call shifts are not a business necessity, as we see from the many retailers that no longer use this unjust method of scheduling work hours."

As a result of continuing pressure, many major retailers have stopped scheduling workers for on-call shifts.

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