What are some important considerations about these new laws?
Kadish said the laws, designed to provide a good workplace with scheduling and compensation for fast food workers, will represent a big shift for employers. The restaurant industry often faces challenges about how many workers will be needed a week or two weeks in advance, he said. Current law was ambiguous about the on-call system, for example. Restaurants and retail often rely on flexible schedules—New York’s new law will remove that flexibility, according to Kadish.
How will employers be affected?
The ban on consecutive shifts was an “interesting twist,” Kadish said. “There was one aspect that was not widely reported that prevents employers from working closing shifts and opening the next day. He said this is an example of something that might create addition scheduling headaches.
“With scheduling, employers are looking at labor costs,” he said. “To that extent, this may create administrative burdens to comply with the new laws.”
Another example is the requirement to provide worker schedules two weeks in advance.
“This is an industry where people aren’t working 9-5 every day. That type of advance notice is difficult,” he said.
