I worked as a manager for a company whose policy was to have schedules out 10 days before the work week. The employees loved it. The publishing of a schedule meant they could plan their lives and events outside of work without a fear of having to decide whether to come into work or go to their kid’s play when a schedule comes out a day or two before the work day.

It made for happy workers and happy management.

The unintended consequence was that if you suddenly needed people to come in because the scheduled person was sick, had a family emergency, etc., you could call employees who could agree (not forced) to come into work and handle the shift. There wasn’t a manager out there who failed to remember the employees who came in on short notice when the employee wanted a day off such as the day before Christmas, the day of the Super Bowl, etc. It was a case of “you scratched our back, we’ll scratch yours.”

As a matter of policy scheduling 10 days out works, is great and benefits both the employee and management. As a matter of law, not so much as the burden is once again placed on business. It is a one sided law.

I am always leery of laws concerning businesses made by politicians who have never managed or owned a company, division, location department, etc.