Gap announced last week that it would soon end the practice of on-call scheduling, which requires workers to call in before a shift to see if they are needed.  By the beginning of next year, the company’s five brands — Athleta, Banana Republic, Gap, Intermix and Old Navy — will give employees at least 10 to 14 days’ notice of their schedules. 

Gap follows Abercrombie & Fitch, Starbucks and Victoria’s Secret in promising to end on-call scheduling.  It took strong public and regulatory pressure to get the companies to change, but change they have. 

Unfortunately, unpredictable scheduling is still widespread.  According to federal data, 66 percent of food service workers, 52 percent of retail workers and 40 percent of janitors and house cleaners have at most a week’s notice of their schedules. 

On-call scheduling is but one of many dubious pay and scheduling practices.  Workers who show up for a scheduled shift may be sent home without pay if business is slow.  Schedules can fluctuate from week to week, making it hard to manage family life or calculate a budget.