Essays on Labor Productivity in Retail Stores

Abstract

This dissertation contains three chapters containing empirical studies that center around understanding labor productivity in retail stores. The first chapter, co-authored with Ananth Raman and Jorge Tamayo, examines how managers can increase store labor productivity by overriding an AI tool that forecasts demand and schedules labor. The second chapter, co-authored with Ananth Raman, evaluates the effects of Fair Workweek Laws on worker schedules and discusses how schedule flexibility may be a key driver of store labor productivity. The third chapter, co-authored with Ananth Raman, studies how inconsistent work schedules can increase shift-level rates of lateness and absenteeism. In this chapter, we argue that while inconsistent work schedules may help managers better align labor supply with demand, they may have negative consequences on employees' well-being and performance.