Update on Member Labor

April 26, 2022

Hi Coop Member,

We’ve heard your feedback, and we have lots of good news to share about the member labor system!

CYCLE LENGTH

The length of the work cycle has been extended from five weeks to six weeks. The current shift began on Monday, April 18, and will end on Sunday, May 29. As the Coop size continues to increase with new members, the availability of enough work slots in the cycle for every member who wanted to work was growing tighter. The Coop was on pace to have more member workers than work shifts in the cycle. Increasing the cycle length to six should address this issue and hopefully make it easier for everyone to find a shift.

SIX WEEK SHIFT CALENDAR AVAILABLE

For all of you who want to see available shifts farther out into the future, your wish has been granted. The shift calendar has been expanded from four weeks to six weeks to match the length of a cycle. We hope the more extended shift calendar will make it easier for everyone to plan ahead and find shifts that meet their schedules.

Also, shifts on the most popular committees, such as walker or checkout, are timed to release throughout the cycle. This system was created after observing that members grabbed all the most popular shifts the day they were released, leaving no options for members who looked later in the cycle or new and rejoining members who looked for the first time. Now, the most popular shifts are released across all the weeks of the cycle to give members – no matter when they were looking at the shift calendar – an opportunity to see work shifts that previously “sold out” early. We encourage you to consult the calendar often to maximize your chances of finding a shift that meets your schedule and the type of work you want to do.

CAP LOWERED TO TWO SCHEDULED SHIFTS

The limit on how many shifts any individual can schedule at one time has been lowered to two from four. When we reviewed the data, we realized that 12% of the member-worker pool was scheduling 21% of all available shifts. This group was scheduling three to four shifts, which reduced the number of changes available to most member workers. Once a member completes one of the two shifts, they can schedule another one. This allows members to still work ahead of the cycle without having a noticeable impact on the availability of shifts for other members. Overall, the system becomes more equitable for every working member.

RECURRING SHIFTS

Recurring shifts will be starting in July! Like the pre-pandemic ABCD shifts, recurring shifts will meet on the same day at the same time on a particular committee (for example, receiving). Be on the lookout for additional information in the next several weeks on how you will be able to sign-up for a recurring shift.
For those members who like to work “freelance,” the Coop will maintain a healthy mix of recurring work slots and freelance shifts across various committees, days, and times of day to try to meet the needs of the broadest swath of the Coop membership.

The membership has widely praised the features and functionality of the Coop’s member services system. These enhancements aim to improve members’ experiences of the system and make it easier for members to manage their member-labor responsibilities.

In cooperation,
Ann Herpel
General Coordinator