Wal-Mart To Offer Some Employees Fixed Schedules From 2016

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is not just raising wages for some of its employees -- from 2016 the company will also offer some of them fixed scheduling, the company said in its earnings release earlier Thursday. The lucky workers will be given at least 2.5 weeks notice of their schedules, and those who want to work extra hours will be able to view open shifts in their store so they can arrange their hours to suit their own schedule. Many retailers have irked employees by failing to offer fixed hours, leaving some workers with very narrow gaps between shifts. Starbucks, for example, last year changed its policy on scheduling for its baristas to eliminate the practice of "clopening", where baristas would open up early in the day after closing late the previous evening, according to a New York Times report.