The attorney general of New York is looking into store worker scheduling practices of several major retailers to determine the legality of so-called “on-call” shifts, according to CNN.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent letters to 13 retail corporations (Target Corp., Sears Holdings Corp., Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Gap Inc., Ann Inc., Burlington Stores Inc., Crocs Retail LLC, JCPenney Corp., J.Crew Group, L Brands Inc., TJX Companies Inc., Urban Outfitters Inc. and Williams Sonoma Inc.), asking for information about on-call scheduling, in which employees are not notified they are working until the day of, or just hours before, the start of a given shift.
The attorney general’s office says that a growing number of retailers are frequently using such systems, which were designed to increase staffing levels when stores are busy and decrease staff when business is slow. Schneiderman’s letter said the practice can cause workers to “experience adverse financial and health effects, as well as overall stress and strain on family life.”