Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Robo-Scheduling

    Almost every major chain store now has traded in old-fashioned, pen-and-paper work schedules for computer-generated ones. They use special software that analyzes sales data, delivery schedules, and even local weather forecasts to spit out the most efficient plan for which employees should work, when.

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Aug 15, 2014 • 1 min read

    Almost every major chain store now has traded in old-fashioned, pen-and-paper work schedules for computer-generated ones. They use special software that analyzes sales data, delivery schedules, and even local weather forecasts to spit out the most efficient plan for which employees should work, when. It’s great for the bottom line, but not so great for many workers. Yesterday, Starbucks announced it’s changing its system to give workers more regular hours. But does this mean anything for others in similar situations?

    The full episode

    5 of 5
    A Different Tone in Ferguson, Yes Means Yes, and More
    1. 0:00A Different Tone in Ferguson
    2. 6:51Yes Means Yes
    3. 15:18Dystopias, Sly Stallone and an Enormous Head
    4. 26:44The Trials of Pamela Smart
    5. 41:24Robo-SchedulingYou’re reading this
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Andrew Walsh

      Too Beautiful to Live

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jodi Kantor

      investigative reporter at the New York Times

      News

    The full episode

    5 of 5
    A Different Tone in Ferguson, Yes Means Yes, and More
    1. 0:00A Different Tone in Ferguson
    2. 6:51Yes Means Yes
    3. 15:18Dystopias, Sly Stallone and an Enormous Head
    4. 26:44The Trials of Pamela Smart
    5. 41:24Robo-SchedulingYou’re reading this
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand