Manipulating the work schedule to keep worker pay low by sending employee home.

With any business operations whether a small mom and pop or shop or big corporation, it can be difficult to make the decision to send home an employee. Market demands and consumer buying trends often determine the hours of operations for a business. On one side of the spectrum, keeping the business open is a priority and due to volatile market changes and demands anything can happen that could potentially hinder the business operations. However, many employees suffer financially from poor scheduling and slow business operations. I don’t think it is ethically wrong to send someone home due to slow period especially if the employer did their due diligence to communicate this possibility prior to hiring the individual. I think for an hourly employee, employers must ensure they enable them to make up the hours during a busy season. An hourly employee can be guaranteed certain hours which ultimately can affect their financials if their hours are reduced. Companies must establish and enforce strong communication surrounding the employee’s expectations, pay policy and guidelines. By establishing an open communication with the employees, there can an understanding as to why a person is being sent home during slow operations.

Supply and demand of goods and services will continue to affect the effective scheduling of employee work hours. Many retail stores reduced hours during slower periods and increase during busier periods. The demand curve for a particular goods and services may be good if the pricing of the good is lower or a sale is taking place. Finding ways to cut cost or implementing cost savings initiatives is not necessary a bad thing. It is good for the company’s longevity and also provides somewhat of job security for an employee despite the reduced hours. If an employer sends an employee home consistently without pay, their maybe more pressing issues present aside from it being a slow operations for the business. While it can be tremendously annoying to travel a long distance to work and be sent home due to lack of work, an employee can make up the hours during a busy season. Companies should be creative in implementing key initiatives that can assist with protecting an employee from going home early.  Such initiatives can include adjusting work schedules where employees can work more hours on a busy day and make their hours for the week, or a flexible work schedule and rotational shifts where they assess the busy time for their business and determine its staffing needs.

Every business has a peak period and a slow period. This is evident within the transportation and hospitality industry. Many airlines during slow periods may instill cost reduction programs that includes having employees taking off voluntary without pay, or granting Voluntary Time Off during their work schedules and rearranging work schedules to meet areas of full demands. Other industries may cross train their employees to do multiple functions so that a company can achieve its duties it could not achieve during a busy season.

Source URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/01/opinion/manipulating-the-work-schedule-to-keep-worker-pay-low.html?_r=0