Secure Scheduling
Ordinance: SMC 14.22 Rules: SHRR Chapter 120
Secure Scheduling Comprehensive Q&A
Important Notice
*Special Notice Regarding Secure Scheduling and COVID-19
Employers covered by the Secure Scheduling Ordinance do not need to provide premium pay for schedule changes if business operations cannot begin or continue due to recommendation of a public official, including public health officials.
Seattle's Secure Scheduling Ordinance went into effect on July 1, 2017.
Coverage: Covers hourly employees at retail and food services establishments with 500+ employees worldwide. Full service restaurants also must have 40+ full-service locations worldwide.
The Secure Scheduling Ordinance requires employers to:
- Display a Secure Scheduling workplace poster in English and employees’ primary language(s) in a conspicuous and accessible place.
- Provide a written good faith estimate of median hours employees can expect to work and whether employees will work on-call shifts to new employees at the time of hire, and to current employees on an annual basis and when there is a significant change to employees’ schedules.
- Post work schedules at least 14 days in advance, and respect employees’ right to decline any hours not on originally posted schedules.
- Engage in the interactive process when employees request schedule preferences and grant requests related to major life events, unless there is a bona fide business reason for denying the request.
- Offer additional work hours to current employees by posting notice of available hours for three days and offering the hours to qualified, current employees before hiring new employees (unless an exception applies).
- Pay time-and-a-half for any hours worked between closing and opening shifts that are separated by less than 10 hours.
- Pay the following compensation for each employer-requested schedule change after the schedule is posted (unless an exception applies):
- One hour of pay for hours added to a shift or when a shift date or time is changed.
- Half of the hours not worked when an employee is sent home early from a shift.
- Half the hours not worked when an employee is scheduled for an on-call shift and is not called-in.
- Keep records for three years to show compliance.
Additional resources, including Advance Notice of Work Schedule, Access to Hours Template and a Secure Scheduling Guide, are available on the Resources & Language Access page.