# New availability policy?



## Kookz (Mar 6, 2021)

Before closing tonight, I was told that starting on the 14th of this month there will be set shift start times. For example closing will start at 4 pm no matter if your availability starts at 2 pm or 5pm. Has anyone heard about this? I was told that this would take place at every Target store and not just our district. Would this be considered being scheduled outside availability?


----------



## SigningLady (Mar 6, 2021)

I haven't heard anything about this so I would call bullshit on it being every Target store. More likely it's a district or regional thing; this has the smell of middle management all over it. My store is in the midst of moving schedules around, but it is for an inbound test which is also not coming down from corporate.

Here's the thing about middle management (DSD level and up, but not including corporate): they are all desperately trying to climb the ladder to corporate and to do that they need to make their mark trying new processes in their stores where we bear the brunt of their grand ideas. Some of these ideas make their way to corporate and become implemented across all stores (modernization). Others fail at the level they started.

Best advice I can give for this new change at your store is to soldier thru until it either fails spectacularly or you get used to it.


----------



## jenna (Mar 6, 2021)

I have not heard this yet, but I am more likely to learn things via this forum than from hearing things within my store.

ETA:  Not sure how this would work with low payroll.


----------



## jenna (Mar 6, 2021)

I think @allnew2  's store follows set times for the start of shifts.


----------



## Ashfromoldsite (Mar 6, 2021)

Kookz said:


> Before closing tonight, I was told that starting on the 14th of this month there will be set shift start times. For example closing will start at 4 pm no matter if your availability starts at 2 pm or 5pm. Has anyone heard about this? I was told that this would take place at every Target store and not just our district. Would this be considered being scheduled outside availability?


Wouldn’t work in my store. We don’t have the payroll for closers to start at 4. They work 6-10 here.


----------



## MrT (Mar 6, 2021)

Kookz said:


> Before closing tonight, I was told that starting on the 14th of this month there will be set shift start times. For example closing will start at 4 pm no matter if your availability starts at 2 pm or 5pm. Has anyone heard about this? I was told that this would take place at every Target store and not just our district. Would this be considered being scheduled outside availability?


My store has done this for a while.  We have made a few exceptions for tms who have been here for a while.  All new hires need to be available for the time slots we are looking for.


----------



## MxTarget (Mar 6, 2021)

Most of the crappiest decisions I’ve mostly ran into were from the DSD and GVP.  And it’s always about optics.


----------



## MxTarget (Mar 6, 2021)

There was talk about this on Reddit too.  I imagine something is in the works.  Anyhow, in May, Walmart is switching to a similar “teaming” schedule.


----------



## Far from newbie (Mar 6, 2021)

I would prefer to have a SET, consistently the same, schedule.  Easier to juggle two jobs, plan ahead and know who should be working.  Scheduled lunch times would correct compliance violations.  I also don’t like changing sleeping and eating routines for a schedule that is all over the day.


----------



## Fluttervale (Mar 6, 2021)

If your availability doesn’t meet the shifts they want to schedule, then you aren’t going to be scheduled for those shifts.  That is not a new thing.  Your choices are to either get less hours or change your availability.


----------



## Yetive (Mar 6, 2021)

I thought this was just for Fulfillment.


----------



## TheCartGuy (Mar 6, 2021)

My store used to be lenient on availability (ca. 2015/16). They're more rigid now. The reason? Completely different management.


----------



## Kookz (Mar 6, 2021)

Fluttervale said:


> If your availability doesn’t meet the shifts they want to schedule, then you aren’t going to be scheduled for those shifts.  That is not a new thing.  Your choices are to either get less hours or change your availability.


They've already cut my hours a lot. I asked them if I changed my availability to a different starting time than they have set, would they go through with it? and they told me I would have to start at that set time. I looked at my schedule for the 14th and seems like they have already made those scheduling adjustments.


----------



## Kookz (Mar 6, 2021)

Yetive said:


> I thought this was just for Fulfillment.


Was told front end team members who close would have to stay an extra hour and a half to help for fullfillment


----------



## Hardlinesmaster (Mar 6, 2021)

@Kookz, Hours are low right now. 
Business needs controls the hours.


----------



## dannyy315 (Mar 7, 2021)

I think there’s something in the March planner about it


----------



## DBZ (Mar 7, 2021)

Would this be for the sales floor team only or for the front end as well?


----------



## 60SecondsRemaining (Mar 8, 2021)

This would be a poor leadership move, and one designed to solve a problem with bodies instead of brains...

You can schedule people outside of availability but lets look at it logically.

Steve is your best closer. Steve always does a phenomenal job. You never have to worry about Steve, because Steve is a responsible adult. Steve also has a day job and can't get there until 0530. Steve quits because this new "policy" is restrictive and kind of dumb.

Jim is also a closer.  He's a good guy, but honestly not too great.  He does mediocre work, but he's always there when you need him to fill hours.  Jim has open availability.  

Both Steve and Jim have valuable qualities.  You need a blend of Steve's and Jim's to be successful.  Under a policy like this, you will end up with a roster full of Jims, because the world generally works on a 8/5/11 schedule. Trying to schedule too far out of those bounds is going to leave you with only a specific subset of staff, namely people with generally open availability who also want to close all the time.


----------



## Rarejem (Mar 8, 2021)

Pretty much how it's been at our store for a while.  Inbound works 6-11:30 (1:30 if they are also GM or Style tm's, which leaves time for them to "stay longer" if asked), Daytime (GM, Cart Attendant, Style, Special teams) works 10-6:30, Closers come in at 5, including cashiers. Food and Beverage is a bit different to accommodate their trucks, but they also work set hours.  Cart/store cleaners work 6-11:30, 11:30-5, and 5-close.  (Usually tm's from other dept. that have had hours cut)  Any hours cut from a team are during those times, so there may be times when there are no tm's on the floor, but there is typically at least one TL that can field calls and help guests. I haven't yet detected a cashier pattern, but Guest Service watches SCO for the first hour and Drive-up covers Guest Service.  Sometimes a guest will have to wait a little, but is acknowledged.  If a tm needs to make changes it's done on myTime or via swap shift board. I do think that those with other jobs are allowed to be exceptions to the 5:00 start, but not sure if that's just long timers or new hires.  I like a set schedule, but many prefer flexible hours.


----------



## Caliwest (Mar 9, 2021)

Far from newbie said:


> I would prefer to have a SET, consistently the same, schedule.  Easier to juggle two jobs, plan ahead and know who should be working.  Scheduled lunch times would correct compliance violations.  I also don’t like changing sleeping and eating routines for a schedule that is all over the day.


Ditto. Constantly checking Kronos my schedule is all over the map now. Still haven't worked a day in my dbo area. Someone else with my same schedule does it. Bizarre.


----------



## IWishIKnew (Mar 10, 2021)

Closers start at 5 on weekdays at my store, 3pm on weekends (except for me, because it was killing my work-life balance and wouldn't have been sustainable, so I asked my ETL to change me back to 5pm and she did, because she's awesome).

Most closers at my store are either students or people who have full-time jobs (or did, before COVID), so they'd lose people like crazy if they forced people to start at 4 on weeknights.


----------



## GRC (Mar 10, 2021)

I don't see how this idea could work well at all. As for just one reason why, many TMs are college students, and therefore have their availability set around their classes. Say you have a closer who has classes until 3:30 3 days a week, then they can never work on those days and you're down a closer for no good reason.


----------

