Inflexible schedules can have a huge impact on peoples lives, making It hard for them to plan outside of work. Make sure your staff don't miss out on things like birthdays or being there for their families in times of need.
Rarely, do your employees have control over their schedules.
Some will receive their shifts weeks in advance (which gives them the opportunity to plan their time around them) but for others they will only receive a few days notice.
This can have a huge impact on their lives, making It hard for them to plan outside of work. Do you really want your staff to miss out on things like birthdays or being there for their families in times of need?
For part time workers, the deskless workforce, or people working in the gig economy, not knowing when they are working next increases the challenge of working multiple jobs and calculating their income, as their hours can fluctuate wildly.
And it’s crippling these incredible humans who, in 2020, showed their worth to the world by keeping society running as the pandemic swept across the globe. It was this ‘forgotten workforce’ who kept shelves stocked in the grocery stores, cared for the sick, and provided lifelines to isolated communities, despite the risks they faced.
Global research we carried out this year paints a bleak picture.
Two-thirds of workers we surveyed say they give up sleep, hobbies, and even something as simple as a normal eating routine because of inflexible schedules.
They say they are regularly forced to choose between their personal lives and jobs, missing holidays and social events.
Half of them told us they have even been forced to miss events of huge personal significance - like weddings and funerals - because their schedules weren’t flexible.
Your employees are desperate for more control and flexibility. They want the ability to be able to choose the shifts they work, easily switch shifts, and take on extra shifts if they need to.
And here’s the deal-breaker… it’s in your best interests to give it to them.
It may seem like keeping workers to a rigid schedule will keep them productive, but data says that the opposite is true with 85% of workers saying flexible schedules make them more productive.
Not only do flexible schedules give you the ability to respond to unpredictable demand, they make your employees happier, lead to a more efficient business and, ultimately, ensure your customers receive a better service.
Happy employees are more productive and efficient (keeping costs low) and provide a better service to your customers (keeping performance high).
With the right tools and technology in place, flexible working can help improve productivity, save time, reduce costs, improve employee retention and boost employee happiness.
Forget the mountains of presents underneath the tree. If you want to show your employees you care - then light up their lives by giving them the gift of a flexible schedule.
Read more in our Playbook for Better Scheduling.
