How to design predictable scheduling laws that not only benefit workers but also firms’ bottom line?
Over the past few decades, much of the media and policy debate around labor issues have focused on low wages. Labor issues related to work schedules have received far less attention. In fact, 17% of the U.S. labor force works on unpredictable or unstable schedules with short advance notice (Golden 2015). They are disproportionately concentrated in lower paid occupations in the retail and service sectors. According to a national survey on retail jobs, 87% of retail workers report hour variations in the past month with the average variation equivalent to 48% of their usual work hours, 50% report a week or less advance notice, and 44% say that their employer decides their work hours without their input (Lambert et al. 2014). The prevalence and the rapid growth of unpredictable and unstable schedules has resulted in many social issues, including difficulties arranging childcare and threats to households’ economic security (Henly and Lambert 2014).