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:
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.
