Zero hour contracts - rotas

[sofakingcool]

Hi

Those of you on Zero hour contracts, how do rota's work in your job? Are you given much notice, ie do you get given your rota on Monday for the following week etc? Do you tend to be given the same hours? If your work changed those hours, would they say anything before changing that on the rota?

Sorry for the lots of questions, DS is on a zero hour contract. When he started work (restaurant work) his boss sat down with him and worked through which hours he could do around college etc. He generally always had the same hours every week - would offer to take on more over holidays.

That boss has now left and a new one has started.

Gone are the regular hours, quite often he's given hours he can't do (which he has been clear about from the start of the new boss being there), his boss is difficult about then having to change the rota again - not much DS can do about it, he can't miss college.

I think the biggest issue is the lack of notice - the rota is sent out at some point on a Friday, starting the next Sunday - so less than 48 hours later. Meaning it's difficult for DS to change things around, and obviously difficult for his boss to deal with at relatively short notice!

DS doesn't want to argue with them over it, he's popular there (or at least was with the previous management), he's always taking on extra shifts to help out. Just feels a bit of a crap position to be in, and he's fed up with the same stuff every Friday - having to go to them saying they've given him shifts he can't do... again.. He's quite often dealing with this whilst at college too, to give his boss as much notice as possible that there's a problem.

I don't doubt arranging rota's must be a nightmare, but surely the sorting with 48 hours notice is a bit weird? Or is it?!

Dd gets a weeks notice of her rota which is done every month. She has to fill in her availability on a form (mostly set hours but she puts extra availability down on holidays etc)

Is there someone higher he can go to. DD’s workplace know her college hours are untouchable.

@Comefromaway

Dd gets a weeks notice of her rota which is done every month. She has to fill in her availability on a form (mostly set hours but she puts extra availability down on holidays etc)

Is there someone higher he can go to. DD’s workplace know her college hours are untouchable.

Thanks for your reply @Comefromaway

There's not really anyone he can go to, his regional manager is his currently manager! He's stepped in as the previous manager left quickly, although it's looking likely he's going to be around for a while.

It's just so frustrating, esp the short notice

Any of my staff on zero hours aren’t actually scheduled on shift without being confirmed first.

Any gaps on rotas after contacted hours are done are sent out (febs rota sent out by 1st Jan) and staff let me know what they can do. Works across my services. I do have a few zero hours staff who have said they can do “every Tuesday backshift” and “every Friday day shift” But I still generally double check with them before publishing the rota tho incase they can’t that month.

@sofakingcool

Why doesn't he give new manager a printed out Google-style calendar with all the shifts he is available/not available coloured in?

When I used to do the rotas for my work, I'd start working on them on the Monday or Tuesday and often not have finalised until the Thursday or Friday depending on cover that was got in place.
We'd consult the zero hours employees as it was a proverbial pain to not have the cover after planning it.
Though there were colleagues who'd apply pressure if someone said they weren't available.
Sadly with zero hour contracts, the employee is at the employer's behest as often refusing hours leads to not being offered any/enough. Although atm your son maybe lucky if they're desperate to fill roles...
I'd reiterate his hours in email and also put his hours availability on an A4 calendar. Something that's really accessible and visible.

DS may be popular, but does not need to be messed about. He should start looking for another job.

Where I work, everyone with contracts that are not zero hours are put on the rota, and then everyone with zero hour contracts can choose whatever shifts are left.

The rota is published monthly around about the 20th of each month.

Thanks all, he's going to try the google calendar idea - although he has tried to already make his availability clear in other ways and it just seems to get ignored.

He would look elsewhere for work, but he likes it there and wherever he ends up, he'd only be there until the summer as he'll then be off to Uni. He's keen to then be able to come back and work there in the holidays too, which is what a lot of the others do too

I do our rota on a Monday for the following Monday, but by the time it's finished and sent out, it's often Wednesday.

However, I ask everyone to give me thier unavailable dates 2 weeks in advance, so I know who I have to give hours to. If someone tells me they can't work Fridays that goes in the diary and it's there till they tell me any different.

Conversely, if I give them hours that they haven't marked as 'unavailable ' then I do expect them to be able to work them once the rota is published.

This way there's no changing after it's been written.
If he has told them what hours he can't do, they should honour that.