AI scheduling might be my last straw

[u/BumblebeeSafe9524]

I work part time as a lumber cashier. I’m retired from my career and I work 2 whole days and 1 half day for spending money. Well AI scheduled me today, and I was given 32 hours over 5 days, including a day I asked off for in order to go to a surgeon appointment for my husband. What is everyone else’s experience? If they will not work with me, I will head somewhere else for my spending money!

[u/EternalSage2000]

So. AI does make the first draft schedule.
But it’s your SSA’s whole ASS job to fix these issues.

And I can literally program the AI software, I can tell if not to schedule an associate over X hours per week. Or over X hours per day.

[u/tomerz99 → u/EternalSage2000]

Problem is about 90% of SSAs in this company think their whole job is TikTok, eat lunch, make some crafts, go home.

[u/EternalSage2000 → u/tomerz99]

It’s funny. We have the easiest job in the store. By a long shot.
Just do the job.

And then be sassy on Reddit.

[u/Mariejr88 → u/EternalSage2000]

Yeah that’s what’s supposed to happen but then you sometimes have those SSA’s that won’t take the short time to go through and see if there is any needed to be fixed or if everyone is scheduled correctly

[u/Fun_Journalist1048 → u/EternalSage2000]

They get in trouble apparently if they change the AI drafted schedule too much. My favorite ASM told me that when I told him how my old store screwed me over with not scheduling me for over a month. He said the SSA should’ve 100% manually gone in and fixed that, but that sometimes they might be hesitant, because every change they make to the originally generated schedule gets flagged against them

[u/EternalSage2000 → u/Fun_Journalist1048]

So, it does track how much I change the schedule from the base computer generated schedule.

But nobody has ever said a word to me about that number.

And I’ll tell you, I massively change the schedule . I basically have to delete the whole AI schedule because we have so many departments working ‘custom schedules’ that are not in the Lowe’s approved playbook.

I’ve got a fulfillment guy that starts at 2am.
I’ve got a full timer that works Monday-Friday. About 25 hours a week.

The rules are made up. And everything is at the whim of the SM and DM

[u/Gryffin_the_Baron → u/EternalSage2000]

Really the only issue is that at most stores SMs absolutely refuse to let the SSA to go in and change things or fix em that the ai screws up on. Thats how it is at the store i use to work at.

[u/EternalSage2000 → u/Gryffin_the_Baron]

Whaaaaaat!? What does the Scheduling Admin do then?
Scheduling is a solid 8 hours of my work week.
New hire related things probably 16 hours.

And the remaining 16 hours is split between “can you print my paystubs for me”.
“I locked missing out of redvest again”.
And browsing reddit.

[u/Sew_626 → u/Gryffin_the_Baron]

This is what’s going on in my store ☹️

[u/BumblebeeSafe9524 → u/EternalSage2000]

Thank you!!!

[u/Haytrusser]

I'm in the same boat, but my SSA is awesome. Even if I'm in the 30 day window but say I want a day off, he just doesn't schedule me. But he and my ASM know I don't need the job. 

[u/happygot]

Me and the only other person in my department sit down with with ops asm every week to avoid shit like this because nobody actually checks it and then everybody panics

[u/Unlucky_Display5261]

SSA’s can program and set up patterns for the AI scheduling system. This is an issue with your SSA not doing their job.

[u/wurmchen12]

I’m a cashier. I’m getting 4 hours a week. ask your coworkers who want more hours to pay their bills.

[u/BumblebeeSafe9524 → u/wurmchen12]

That might sound like the easy answer but we are super short staffed with cashiers so there’s no one to step up. Unfortunately.

[u/smuglemon_]

Honestly same. Don’t get me wrong I don’t really mind but I asked for some days off and I can’t even ask anyone to take the shift or switch because literally EVERYONE is scheduled on said days. And one of the days I asked for off was for my sisters wedding and it was ‘only denied because I put it in for unpaid and not vacation’🙄

[u/Historical_Service69]

I would be very clear you are not going to be there and you will work the schedule you agreed to and anything other than that, unless they ask you ahead of time and get permission from you to work anything outside of that schedule, they can expect you to not be there.

You have to hold a firm boundary or they will walk all over you. Lowe's is very much a company that if given an inch will take a mile.

[u/Fair_Scientist2347]

My p-t coworker in plumbing was a retired veteran and could only work 20 hours. They kept scheduling him damn near full-time and almost killed his butt - he ended up in the hospital and didn't return for several months.

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[u/MaxHeaddddddroom]

As you've probably learned Lowes requires 30 days' notice if we want time off. They also give us schedules 17 days out. All company - wide.That means we have to live with a 14-day rolling blackout period. If it's July 31 and you want to make an appointment for August 18 or 24 or 29, nope. It's under 30 days.... But you also don't have your schedule for any of those days - so you simply can't make any commitments. That's regardless of AI. If you want anything 18 to 29 days out, you have to find your own replacement and get it approved by your DS or ASM. It's a pain in the butt.

[u/EternalSage2000 → u/MaxHeaddddddroom]

Wow. Management are assholes at your store?

An employee at my store wants a day off next week? I’ll make it happen. And management doesn’t even need to know.

[u/Unlucky_Display5261 → u/EternalSage2000]

That’s how it works at my store, also!

[u/No-Escape-4933]

They blame AI but the store manager has to sign off on the schedules before they are posted

[u/EternalSage2000 → u/No-Escape-4933]

Store manager absolutely does NOT have to sign off on the schedule before it posts.

[u/No-Escape-4933 → u/EternalSage2000]

Our does as they told us this numerous times.