Glossary

Clopening — a closing shift followed by the next morning's opening shift. Named because it is common enough to need a word, and restricted or priced in a growing number of jurisdictions.

Fair workweek — the general name for predictive scheduling ordinances. Around a dozen US jurisdictions, one state, with a common shape and important exceptions.

Good-faith estimate — a written statement of expected hours and pattern given at hire. The reference point for every hours conversation afterwards.

Just-in-time scheduling — building the rota as close to the day as possible to match demand precisely. Maximally efficient on paper and the source of most of what this collection addresses.

On-call shift — requiring availability without guaranteeing work. Restricted or prohibited in most fair workweek jurisdictions; the compliant alternative is a voluntary standby list.

Predictability pay — a premium owed when the employer changes a published schedule inside the notice window. Commonly an hour at the regular rate, with substantial variation.

Schedule stability — how similar a person's pattern is week to week. Rarely in a scheduling optimiser's objective function unless someone puts it there.

Split shift — two separate working periods in one day with an unpaid gap too short to be useful. Attracts a premium in some jurisdictions and dislike everywhere.

Standby list — people who have volunteered to be contacted for extra hours, with no obligation and no penalty for declining.

Terms used loosely

"Flexibility" usually means the employer's flexibility. Whose flexibility is meant is worth asking whenever the word appears in a scheduling proposal.

"Optimised" means optimised against whatever objective was configured, which is almost always cost alone.

"Compliant" describes a configuration for a set of locations, never a product. A vendor cannot make your rota lawful.

"Real-time scheduling" means building close to the day, which is the practice the law is moving against.

How to read these notes

Start with the basics if the rota is late and changing constantly.

Start with the legal section if you operate in a covered jurisdiction or are not sure whether you do.

Start with building if the rota is stable and unfair.

Start with the measures if you need the number that justifies changing anything.

Nothing here is legal advice, and the notes say so where it matters.

On the absence of numbers

How to treat any figure here.

No savings percentages are quoted, because they depend entirely on what you were doing before.

No forecast accuracy figures, because they depend on your sector, site and horizon.

No staffing ratios, because the one that fits your operation is the one you test against outcomes.

Every number worth having is one you produce, and the notes say how to produce each of the six that matter.

A practical implementation prompt

During configuration, use this practical example to prompt questions about fields, ownership and output. Keep the written scheduling purpose in control and document every assumption.