Dive Brief:
- Work-life balance topped hourly workers’ list of job-satisfaction drivers, according to the results of a new survey by Shiftboard in partnership with Lux Insights. The State of the Hourly Worker: Key Drivers of Hourly Employee Satisfaction, an online poll of 2,150 U.S. hourly workers, found that 77% of respondents said they needed work-life balance to feel satisfied on the job. Other drivers of job satisfaction were being well-paid, having a positive boss/employee relationship, having a convenient work location or performing enjoyable tasks and projects. According to the survey, hourly workers make up 60% of the total labor force.
- Scheduling consistency (in both days and times) had the biggest impact on workers, while scheduling flexibility had the second largest impact on workers. Thirty-eight percent of respondents age 18 to 34 would trade pay for more control over their work schedule, compared to 19% of respondents aged 35 and older. Notably, 87% of respondents considered having control of their work schedules to be extremely important, and 55% said they would quit their job if they didn’t have control over their schedule.
- Giving hourly workers more control over their schedules might be the key to retention, Shiftboard said. The company recommended that organizations assess their scheduling process and prioritize hourly employees’ preferences to improve job satisfaction and retention.
Dive Insight:
Pay might be slipping from its post as the top incentive for U.S. workers; other benefits and perks, like work-life balance, scheduling flexibility and remote work options, are gaining traction.
Employers, especially retailers, are struggling to attract applicants and reverse high turnover rates in an employee-driven labor market. On top of that, managers must schedule hourly workers so that shifts are adequately covered, meaning flexibility can be a tall order. For some, the answer has come in the form of technology; employers, including Walmart and H&M, have adopted apps that allow workers to pick shifts, swap times with coworkers and post shift vacancies.
Some of these actions also may be a response to the growing city and state movement to adopt predictive scheduling laws. To date, Oregon and four cities in different states have passed such laws. And while large employers may well be able to cope, the National Federation of Independent Business has called the laws unrealistic for small businesses, urging its stakeholders to reach out to local representatives to push back against this trend.
