The New York Times reports that Starbucks Coffee will change its scheduling policies, effectively putting an end to the “clopen shift” for their partners forever. This means no more 10PM closing shifts followed by a 4AM opening shift, a familiar scenario for baristas and service employees colloquially known here in the United States as a “clopen” (a portmanteau of the words “close” and “open”).
The Times talked to Starbucks group president Cliff Burrows, who had more to say on their scheduling policy changes:
He specified that all work hours must be posted at least one week in advance, a policy that has been only loosely followed in the past. Baristas with more than an hour’s commute will be given the option to transfer to more convenient locations, he wrote, adding that scheduling software will be revised to allow more input from managers.
The changes came in response to an article on Wednesday in The New York Times about a single mother struggling to keep up with erratic hours set by automated software.
That article, “Working Anything But 9 to 5” created a furor of angry comments such as:
This is a fascinating story, not only because of the Starbucks policy change, but because it’s living proof of the power and efficacy of reasonably angry comments on the internet. To that end, we ask, is scheduling for baristas a problem in your town? Sound off in the comments below.