Friday, July 15, 2016

Skipping This Shyft

Have a good day.

"New app helps shift workers swap hours" by Dina Bass Bloomberg News  July 13, 2016

Next week, Starbucks barista Foster Cooley will be traveling. Normally he’d have to ask or text co-workers to fill in for him at his Chandler, Ariz., cafe and hope someone can take his shifts. Instead he’s using an app to post his hours to baristas in the entire region.

If the app, called Shyft, catches on more widely, it’s sure to be unpopular in the corporate suite because it essentially wrests away control over scheduling.

“This gives shift workers the power to treat themselves like an economic unit and not be boxed in,” says Heather Redman, a Seattle technology executive who was the first to sign on as an investor. “It is a little controversial and disruptive to have your workers have a whole ecosystem that you didn’t put in, but that’s the world we live in.”

One that makes corporations uncomfortable? Where?

Founded last year, Shyft has attracted big-name investors, including former Seattle Seahawks player Russell Okung and ex-Mariner Edgar Martinez. Along with Redman, Madrona Venture Group and entrepreneur T.A. McCann, they agreed to pony up $1.5 million in new seed capital, the company said Wednesday.

Shift workers often face challenging work schedules—erratic hours, shifts in stores further from home, not enough work to meet their financial needs. Many companies use sophisticated scheduling software that has been criticized for spreading a worker’s hours over too many days.

It's called managing labor costs. You got a problem with it? 

You know, these corporations report profits quarter after quarter yet their $laves can't even make rent!

A Seattle City Council member held a forum this week to discuss issues with shift scheduling, including too few hours and unpredictable schedules; the council and mayor are considering imposing rules. Starbucks has been understaffing stores to save money and hurting workers who need more hours.

Understaffing? 

That's why the wait in line is so long everywhere you go!

Related: Pizza shop worker loves Seattle’s new $15 minimum wage, until he finds out that it cost him his job 

Be careful what you wi$h for, right (just in case you missed it)?

At the same time I'm told there are not enough workers!

Besides letting employees more easily offload shifts they can’t make, Shyft helps those who need more hours to qualify for health care, Starbucks’ college degree program, or even just make the rent.

Thankfully, Obamacare is available -- according to reports

I truly hope nothing bad happens to you kids.

The company also wants to enable geographic flexibility: A worker who wants to visit his grandmother out of state, say, could pick up shifts during the trip.

Some companies require a manager to approve shift swaps so Shyft gives bosses a quick way to say yay or nay on a change.

Can't you just see some supervisor saying who are you?

Workers trying to offload a tough shift—say Christmas or a significant other’s birthday—can offer a monetary enticement.

Think of the BRIBE YOU CAN'T AFFORD as a TIP they tell me!!!

Starbucks says it has no knowledge of anyone at the company using Shyft. The company, which said this week it will boost wages by at least 5 percent, makes one million manual schedule changes per week and said it empowers managers to allow those. “We would rather our partners work with their store managers to make those changes,” said spokewoman Linda Mills.... 

Also see: 

"Starbucks has increased prices slightly a day after it announced it would boost the base pay of all employees and store managers at the same stores by 5 percent or more."

I quit.

--more--"

Glad to see you got yourself a new gig even if you missed the going away cake.

Wow, deja vu in so many ways.

At least you can wear whatever you want.