As referenced in a report by Restaurant Business Online, quick service restaurants in New York City will soon be required to meet more stringent standards for scheduling and hiring hourly employees starting in November 2017. 
 
These standards are part of a set of new labor laws, collectively known as the Fair Workweek Package, intended to provide restaurant and retail workers with more predictability in regards to income, work schedules, and planning for family needs such as childcare.
 
Most of these measures were proposed in the fall of 2016, and were all signed into law on May 30 by NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio. 
 
Here’s what you need to know about the new requirements: 

• Employers must increase current employees’ hours before new hires are made. Employers will also have to set workers’ shifts at least two weeks in advance, with penalties assessed if any changes are made.
• Establishments will be obliged to provide new hires with a “good faith” assessment of how many hours they can expect to work per week in the course of their jobs.
• Employers will be prohibited from scheduling workers for a morning shift if they’d worked the closing shift the night before. Additionally, servers, bartenders, and back-of-house personnel can no longer be on call to come in if business becomes unexpectedly brisk.
• Restaurants must deduct donations to nonprofit organizations from an employee's paycheck upon request and pass along the funds to the benefiting group. The stipulation raises the possibility of funding being channeled to labor advocacy groups that meet the definition of a nonprofit—in effect, setting up a union dues arrangement without the involvement of an actual union. 

As an employer, scheduling is the solution to preparing for these changes. 
 
A digital scheduling tool allows employers to cut scheduling time by up to 62%, allowing employers to adhere to the new law that says schedules must be set at least two weeks in advance. 
 
A mobile-friendly solution allows staff to easily view their weekly hours right from their laptop, tablet, or mobile device - which checks the box for providing new hires with a ‘good faith’ assessment of how many hours they can expect to work per week. 
 
A digital scheduling system will also display schedules across locations and is able to be viewed by category, meaning you’ll never run into the new rule that prohibits employers from scheduling workers for a morning shift if they worked the closing shift the night before. 
 
Harri’s TeamLive platform can do all of the above and more. Click here to schedule a free 10-minute demo.