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Washington — A high-quality work schedule may be as important as pay to employees’ overall well-being, yet nearly two-thirds lack beneficial schedule components, results of a recent study suggest.
As part of the multiyear American Job Quality Study, researchers surveyed more than 18,000 U.S. workers from various industries, demographics and job types. They found that 62% of the workers don’t have a high-quality schedule, defined by predictability (knowing a schedule at least two weeks in advance), stability (work hours that don’t fluctuate each month by more than 25%) and control (when an employee has input on two or more aspects of scheduling).
“Previous research shows that poor work schedules can harm workers’ finances, health and family life,” a Gallup press release states. “Employees with unpredictable hours, last-minute changes or little control over their schedules are more likely to struggle to pay their bills, face hunger or housing problems, feel stressed, sleep poorly, and have conflicts between work and family.”
Control is the biggest missing piece, results showed. More than 40% of the workers said they had little to no control over their schedules.
“When workers lack high-quality schedules, it’s not just their well-being that suffers – employers and the broader economy are affected too,” the release states. “Businesses bear the costs of turnover and absenteeism, while unpredictable schedules can leave workers with less income and less time to spend. This, in turn, can weaken consumer spending and slow economic growth.”
The full study is set to be published in the fall, according to the release.
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Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication