quote: Scott Norwood

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I had not heard of this practice until about a year ago.

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As Paul posted Its a completely routine and normal practice. Its been done for years now. We did it way back when I was in management in the late 70's. We would first ask who would like to go home early. Pacific Theatres the company I worked for had a staffing guideline to work from for our budget. If we fell below that special number that they came up with. We had to cut staff hours, as you know in this business. You never truly know how busy you are going to be. Unless you are working the flagship theatre for the company.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-02-2005, 03:37 PM:
 
I never make anyone go home. I figure if they're scheduled to be here, they can be here. I can find things for them to do -- there's always something to clean, or a sidewalk to be swept, a storage room to straighten up, etc.
 

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Posted by Matt Fields (Member # 3211) on 08-02-2005, 04:36 PM:
 
I usually don't send people home, but on the rare occasions I do, I always ask for volunteers. If no one does, the person who got there first usually goes home.
 

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Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 08-02-2005, 05:09 PM:
 
How do you expect your employees to care about the company, if the company doesn't care about them. When you need them, they may just decide that it isn't important to show up. What goes around, comes around. If the manager isn't very good at scheduling, then maybe HE (or she) should go home without pay.

When someone books me, and then tells me they don't need me, at the last minute, I still bill for the day. It is not my fault that someone cannot schedule, and I will not pay for someone elses screw-up.
 

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Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 08-02-2005, 05:56 PM:
 
I've always asked for volunteers to go home, and never had a problem getting them.
 

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Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 08-02-2005, 06:06 PM:
 
Our situation is pretty much the same as Brad's, there is always somebody who would like the evening off.
 

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Posted by Tracy Bellar (Member # 3049) on 08-02-2005, 06:17 PM:
 
I heard two guys talking once. One guy said, "why do you only work four days a week?" The other guy said, "because I can't make it on three."
 

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Posted by Dan Bouvier (Member # 2655) on 08-02-2005, 07:13 PM:
 
Here in Alberta, as far as I understand, you can send someone home whenever but you have to pay them for at least three hours at minimun wage, per shift. If the person normally makes $18 an hour (obviously not at a theatre), and they only work an hour, no big deal. But if they're making minimum wage and you want to send them home after an hour, you legally have to pay them for three hours, so you might as well keep them around for a while.

However, if it's slow and you need to send people home, and you ask "Who wants to go home?" and some kid volunteers, I guess you could say that it was his choice and then ignore the three hour rule, but I'm not sure how legal that is.
 

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Posted by Carey Barber (Member # 1586) on 08-02-2005, 07:50 PM:
 
Its a very common practice at our theater also - And has been for quite some time.

With most of our staff being in the 16-17 year old range, they are not usually concerned with paying bills so they don't mind having the day off. In fact, most of the time they are happy

Edit - I am not saying I support the practice... I am not saying that it isn't unethical - Just that it exists and does not cause many problems.
 

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Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 08-02-2005, 09:06 PM:
 
When I worked the floor and it was slow, I lived by the old phrase "out of sight, out of mind". I hardly ever got sent home. Later, I would find some stupid task to do and that often kept me around too. Some workers just hover around the box or concession stand and get picked off everyday by management. Then on pay day they'd bitch about money . . . or the lack thereof.
 

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Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 08-03-2005, 12:01 AM:
 
My owner was always calling me telling me to send people home, you know, after a slow five o clock set, so that way we could have NO ONE for the seven.

My philosophy is simple. You schedule to the best of your ability, and make sure your employees are taken care of. If you don't take care of them, they will not take care of your customers.

Ciao
 

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Posted by Dominic Espinosa (Member # 2122) on 08-03-2005, 01:41 AM:
 
I'm the only one I know of that doesn't jump at the opportunity to go home early.
Don't get me wrong, I've done it before but it's rare.
Sending people home at our location is like giving them Christmas early. It's weird.
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 08-03-2005, 01:59 AM:
 
Like most others have said, I sometimes send people home but it is almost always voluntarily on their part. The one time I have actually sent someone home I kept them for their minimum 3 hours.
 

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 08-03-2005, 11:27 AM:
 
My theory on this is simple. If I've taken MY time to schedule them they work. As others said, something ALWAYS needed to be cleaned in the theatre...

When I was FORCED to send employees home, I always asked for volunteers first.. and usually had no probelm getting them.

There was once a policy that the 16=plex I managed, in a resort town where business was always good- but often unpredictable, I was required to run a cashier and an asst or two. This lasted about as long as it took to read the email.. How can ANY manager actually oversee operations while stuck manning a concesion terminal? Granted, I had no issue with working anywhere (I actually enjoyed it- lead by example), but it's hard to work with customers n any issue when you're trying to fill a family of five's order..

Policies mandated, in blanket form, usually ar eproven to be more ineffective at maintaining costs than allowing a seasoned, and EFFECIENT manager to do their job.

And I still miss the business...

*Forgot to mention the legalities in sending someone home whom you have scheduled to work certain hours. If they show up for work, as scheduled, in some, if not most, states, you have an obligatin to pay them for those hours.

Irregardless, even in those situations where you have a person or two more than business supports, it al balances out in the end when you're slammed unexpectedly on a rainy day and can't get extra employees in... or when you have a slow day and someone calls in sick... Efficient management is all it boils down to... IMO.
 

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Posted by Brandon Willis (Member # 2345) on 08-03-2005, 11:34 AM:
 
I HATE, HATE, HATE sending people home. I only do it if my GM tells me he's going to write me up if I don't. In that case, I NEVER force anyone to go home. I ask for volunteers. If nobody volunteers, then I'll find something for the extra people to do to occupy their time. As has been stated before, there is ALWAYS something to do or something to clean up in the theatre.
 

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Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 08-03-2005, 12:01 PM:
 
We try our best to schedule according to what type of night we think we're going to have, based upon weather, movies, other community events, etc. Sometimes we get it right, other nights we miss it by a mile. On the nights that we mis-judge our predicted attendance, I'll send folks home. Running a drive-in is a little diferent than an indoor, but when payroll comes out of my personal pocket, I do what I can to control costs. Most of the teenagers volunteer - and they're fine with that.
 

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Posted by John T. Hendrickson, Jr (Member # 849) on 08-03-2005, 04:14 PM:
 
S.O.P. at our place as well. Many times I have heard the managers downstairs relate that they rarely have a situation where nobody volunteers to go home. Usually the reverse is true- they all want to go home.

Most of our kids work because they consider it "fun", and not because they are broke. Mom and Dad generally provide everything they need (cell phone, wheels, pocket money). When it gets slow, they become bored very fast, and most decide they want to do something else.

On the other hand, I don't have a problem in the booth. When it gets slow, I can't send the operator home.
 

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Posted by R. Andrew Diercks (Member # 1725) on 08-04-2005, 08:22 AM:
 
I honestly can't recall a time when I didn't have at least one volunteer to leave early. I try to make my schedule at least two weeks in advance which employees love. They have time to switch with others or plan their days accordingly. I usually think I do a pretty good job at scheduling correctly, but I think it's highly unlikely to assume that any manager can always predict accurately how a movie or week is going to open. This year has been especially true for that, many things I thought would open better did not.

quote: Bruce Hansen

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How do you expect your employees to care about the company, if the company doesn't care about them. When you need them, they may just decide that it isn't important to show up.

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Simple solution to this, if they don't show up, they don't have a job. Very few of my employees have enjoyed their employment at other jobs as well as the theatre and we pay less. Many of them work at theatres because they enjoy it, not because they have to get every last 1/2 hour they are scheduled.
 

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Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 08-04-2005, 09:01 PM:
 
California requires that employees be paid for 2 hours when they come in. We frequently cut people out early if the business isn't there - but, like most have said, you will always have kids wanting to leave early. I can't remember the last time we set someone home that didnt want to leave..
 

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Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 08-07-2005, 08:40 PM:
 
I think Pauls attitude is way off base. Treating kids like their nothing but a payroll number is just wrong. The "who cares if you dont like it, well find someone else as worthless as you" mentality is a good reason why theaters CAN'T keep employees. The job is fun, the atmosphere is great, but its disgrunted managment with piss poor attitudes that create the large turnover....If your burned out, find another job, but ease up, your attitude is just wrong.
 

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Posted by Darren Solomon (Member # 1120) on 08-07-2005, 08:44 PM:
 
What about the slow season, between Jan thru April?
What our theatre did during those months for the booth supervisors was, that the first show was at 12:30pm (Mon thru Wed) and only one booth personel came in early, threaded up all 16 projectors, ran both sides of the booths (one side has 1-6 and the other side has 7-16 auditoriums) until the 2nd booth personel came in at 1 or 2pm. But for the 6 oclock shift booth change, there would be 2 booth personel running both booths until 9pm, (last show goes in at 10:30pm) and the Booth personel that opened and ran both sides til 2pm gets to go home early. Upon the next day, the booth personal that went home early the night before, opens up early the booth and runs the booth til 2pm. Thursday we didnt do this. corp wanted us to..and no, we didnt do this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All to cut costs. Thats the only time booth personel get to go home early.
 

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Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 08-07-2005, 09:02 PM:
 
Do you have a split booth? We have 16 projectors and a split booth, but we've never needed more than 1 person to run it. granted our booths arent that far apart, basically across the hallway, but 1 projectionist is all we've ever needed.

Theaters just need to schedule the best way they can, and roll with the results. Sometimes you'll be understaffed, sometimes you'll be overstaffed, but to treat the kids like they their worthless is just bad...asking for volunteers to go home is fine. If no one volunteers, then get some extra cleaning done with your extra personel....I've found that theres ALWAYS something to do. ALWAYS.....
 

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Posted by Darren Solomon (Member # 1120) on 08-08-2005, 01:52 AM:
 
Yes, split booths. Down the steps to the lobby, across to the other side to go up the stairs to the other booth.
 

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Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 08-08-2005, 04:36 PM:
 
Ah..Ours is open door, walk across hall, open door. Still... with a little creative scheduling of movies, I would bet 1 projectionist would do the trick.
 

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Posted by Darren Solomon (Member # 1120) on 08-08-2005, 07:10 PM:
 
Yeah, right, like thats never gonna happen. I'd have to be on the ball 24-7 to get the schedual to be that smooth with management. Sometimes I make the suggestion to make a movied last show be on the one side that gets out the latest so low side can exit greet more smoothly. For example: low side end times could be 12:30am and high side's end times would be 2am. This raely happens, and only if I see it that it spossible to change to make it easier for exit greeting and then maybe the manager will recommend one of the projectionists go home early and let the other person who's staying late, close down both sides..on a Friday nite...
 

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Posted by Chase Hanson (Member # 2779) on 08-11-2005, 02:07 PM:
 
You cant really force anyone to leave, so you ask for volunteers. Its usually not that hard to find a 16-18 y/o person who would like to be someplace else other than at work.

Running a fat payroll doesnt help you or them in the long run.
 

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Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 08-11-2005, 11:15 PM:
 
I think any competant manager can adequately schedule the appropriate amount of help need on any given day. Granted, there will be some surprises, but not enough to make bad blood between management and staff by forcing people to go home. I do agree that it isn't that hard to find 17-18 year olds who would rather be somewhere other than work, but its not always up to them...the parents have a lot to say. For some kids, its either work, or home doing homework...and working at a movie theater isnt like flipping burgers or stocking shelves.

.....this job pays less and is less gratifying at the end of the day
 

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Posted by Robert R. Mayer (Member # 3313) on 08-12-2005, 01:06 AM:
 
As a theatre employee, I have no problem with the practice of sending people home.

quote:

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Barry Floyd: We try our best to schedule according to what type of night we think we're going to have, based upon weather, movies, other community events, etc. Sometimes we get it right, other nights we miss it by a mile. On the nights that we mis-judge our predicted attendance, I'll send folks home.

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Also, we ask for volunteers and hope that our slowest and least-motivated employees will choose to go first (they're usually the ones who get sent anyway). This is a fun job, and one can always go in and watch a movie
 

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Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 08-12-2005, 03:24 PM:
 
...but watching a movie isnt work. I would think anyone who DOES go in to "watch a movie" would be a good choice of who to send home.
 

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Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 08-12-2005, 03:50 PM:
 

quote: Frank Dubrois

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...and working at a movie theater isnt like flipping burgers or stocking shelves.

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True, working in a movie theatre isn't quite like many other jobs. I don't know about your theatres, but at mine (Drive-In) we have a steady flow of customers at the concessions line starting at about 1 1/2 hours prior to show time, and the last 30-45 minutes before the show hits the screen, it's all we can do to keep up. My employees work their butts off solid and steady, without a break or a smoke, for 1 1/2 - 2 hours straight. Once the movies start... it's like a ghost town in the concessions building. What does a manager do with 14 employees for 2 hours once everything is cleaned, stocked and refilled? I know, I know... clean some more.

There are some nights like Friday & Saturday nights where we can end up with 250 - 300 cars on the lot, and then there are nights like Tuesday's with 8 cars on the lot. We know week nights are extremely slow, and we do schedule accordingly. It's the weekend's that are sometimes hard to predict.
 

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Posted by Jon Morgan (Member # 3059) on 08-12-2005, 05:52 PM:
 
I never have trouble finding one person on staff who woulnd't rather be out at the club or whatever it is that kids do these days.
 

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Posted by Edwin Schwing (Member # 1270) on 08-13-2005, 03:19 AM:
 
on occasion we have to send them home.

Lately, I wish they would SHOW UP!!!!

E
 

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Posted by Timothy Ervin (Member # 733) on 08-17-2005, 02:40 PM:
 
I personally do not like to do send employees home but will if business is slow.
 

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Posted by Lee Michael Breese (Member # 3056) on 08-21-2005, 05:40 AM:
 
I am not a big fan of sending people home. I try to schedule to fit what kinda night we are going to have generally (Slow). If I do have to send them home then I ask for a volenteer. If then no one wants to go home in some cases I have had. I make them play rock paper Scissors who ever wins gets to stay. (It is childish but it is rather ammusing to watch)

Also they all know if they do not show up for work and they don't call then they can stay home and there check will be mailed to them. If people show up late they have to call me and give me explination why they are late or what is making them late. But no call no show equals no job.

Curtians broken the show is starting what do you tell people?

"Don't worry folks I get paid minimum wage to do this."
 

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Posted by John T. Hendrickson, Jr (Member # 849) on 08-21-2005, 01:14 PM:
 
Same at our place. No call-no show-no job. Our regulars don't seem to have a problem with that. You will, however, get new hires who don't believe it. Then they are shocked when it happens. Oh, well...this isn't high school. Welcome to the business world, kids.
 

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Posted by David Yauch (Member # 2754) on 08-25-2005, 07:32 AM:
 
I use a lot of varying methods to cut payroll. Sending people home is usually a last resort, but it's never too tough to find volunteers. Sometimes I'll give out extra-long breaks to save some payroll, and sometimes we'll offer to let an employee clock off and watch a movie, with the understanding that if we need them we are going to come into the movie and get them, and they need to check with us after the movie to see whether we are slow enough for them to go home. We never have problems finding kids to volunteer to watch a movie and be "on call" for a while. I can't think of a single time I haven't been able to get someone to volunteer to go home.
 

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Posted by Paul Goulet (Member # 297) on 08-25-2005, 03:44 PM:
 
Hey David, Random crazy question for you, but are you the same David that married Shannon Ford who was originally from Massachusetts?
 

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Posted by Adam Heath (Member # 2910) on 08-28-2005, 02:47 PM:
 
Sometimes the kids get mad if I don't send someone home when we are slow. I always have a volunteer too. I think it is bad practice not to atleast ask (you can't force) for volunteers if it is slow. I don't care if it makes you feel bad, that's not your job. Your job is to manage the building. That includes expenses. If no one wants to go home, then give them extra work to do. I can't imagine any theater that would have a constant problem with teenagers not wanting to go home.
 

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Posted by David Yauch (Member # 2754) on 09-02-2005, 03:52 AM:
 

quote: Paul Goulet

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Hey David, Random crazy question for you, but are you the same David that married Shannon Ford who was originally from Massachusetts?

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Lol no. Arizona born and raised here
 

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