Missing Even One Shift Can Cause Financial Insecurity for Half of Hourly Workers

With the month-long government shutdown now behind use, but another one potentially starting in just two weeks, a new study shows that for today’s hourly workforce, missing even a single shift comes at a steep cost.

The new research from digital workplace platform WorkJam, found that for nearly half of employees surveyed, one missed shift means late payments on rent, utilities, and other basic necessities. While most of the government workers are not hourly and most will receive back pay, there are hundreds of thousands of workers who depend on the government employees. Businesses such as coffee shops, restaurants, cleaning contractors and businesses located near government agencies had to cut staff and schedules during the shutdown.

“Today’s workforce is living paycheck to paycheck,” says Steven Kramer, co-founder, president, and CEO of WorkJam. “For them, the loss of a single shift can jeopardize control over their entire livelihood.”

Titled “The Economic Impact of Missing a Single Shift,” the study is based on data collected from over 1,000 U.S.-based hourly employees and employers across the retail, hospitality, logistics, healthcare, and banking industries. It exposes the far-reaching implications of missing a single shift, including being unable to pay utilities on-time (49 percent of respondents), missing rent (27 percent of respondents), and foregoing groceries for a week (25 percent of respondents).

According to Kramer, these findings should call attention to the impact miscommunication and erratic scheduling practices has on frontline workers.

“It’s never been more important for employers to make communication and scheduling a priority, so that they aren’t putting their employees at risk of foregoing basic necessities,” he said.

But improving scheduling is a tall order for industries still reliant on outdated methods. As the study revealed, 55 percent of hospitality and 57 percent of retail workers still depend on paper schedules posted in break rooms to determine their weekly shift assignments.

“Miscommunication and scheduling inconsistencies deepen the disconnect between employers and their frontline employees,” Kramer said. “This drives down employee engagement, which can have a major impact on a company’s bottom-line.”

A consistent work schedule can empower hourly employees to control their economic well-being. By simplifying the front-end distribution and management of schedules and unexpected shift changes, digital workplace platforms such as WorkJam help managers improve staffing while aligning work shifts to the needs of their employees.

“It’s never been more important for employers to consider investing in a digital workplace platform,” Kramer said.

To download the new report, please visit: https://www.workjam.com/portfolio-items/the-economic-impact-of-an-hourly-employee-missing-a-single-shift

To request a free demo of WorkJam, please visit: https://www.workjam.com/

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