WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pay matters, but a new study of U.S. workers finds that job quality hinges on more than just money. Work schedules and other factors play key roles too.
According to the American Job Quality Study, a survey of over 18,000 U.S. workers, employees with high-quality work schedules (as defined below) are more likely than those without high-quality schedules to feel financially secure, enjoy work-life balance and report being satisfied with their job.
But most U.S. employees (62%) do not have high-quality work schedules, a situation that previous research shows can lead to decreased productivity and higher turnover.1 What’s more, over a quarter of employees (27%) are in jobs that have low-quality work schedules.
These findings are the first of many from a multiyear research effort on job quality, led by Jobs for the Future, The Families & Workers Fund, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, and Gallup. Drawing from a nationally representative survey and in-depth interviews, the study offers a fresh, data-driven take on the state of American jobs.
Traditional labor market data track jobs lost and gained but miss critical aspects of worker experiences. The American Job Quality Study, which will be formally released this fall, seeks to fill these gaps by analyzing five understudied dimensions of job quality using a uniquely large and detailed dataset. These dimensions include whether a job:
- provides benefits, stability and pay that support financial wellbeing
- provides an environment in which workers are safe and respected
- gives workers a voice in decisions that affect them
- offers workers opportunities to learn new skills and advance in their career
- provides workers with some control over their tasks and schedule (the focus of this article)
These findings are the first of many from a multiyear research effort on job quality led by Jobs for the Future, The Families & Workers Fund, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, and Gallup. Drawing from a nationally representative survey and in-depth interviews, the study offers a fresh, data-driven take on the state of American jobs.
The study will provide a detailed look at job experiences across various employment sectors, focusing on factors that affect workers’ job satisfaction, health, work-life balance and financial wellbeing. When these aspects suffer, it can lead to worker burnout and turnover — outcomes that can hurt business performance and the broader economy.
Scheduling Problems Undermine Job Quality for Most U.S. Employees
Work schedule quality is assessed through three key factors: schedule predictability, schedule stability and the level of control employees have over their schedule. Overall, about one in four U.S. employees face schedule unpredictability (27%) and instability (28%), and about four in 10 (41%) have little or no control over their work schedules.
A job is considered to have a high-quality schedule if it offers:
- Predictability: The employee knows their schedule at least two weeks in advance, unless they have substantial control over when and how much they work.
- Stability: The employee’s total weekly hours don’t fluctuate by more than 25% over the course of a month, unless the variation is by the employee’s choice.
- Control: The employee has input into two or more aspects of their schedule — how many hours they work, what days they work or when they can take a few hours off for personal reasons.
A job is considered to have a low-quality schedule if the employee has no control over their schedule and it lacks predictability or stability.
Part-Time, Non-Degreed Employees Face More Scheduling Challenges
Unpredictable, unstable and uncontrollable work schedules are a challenge for all types of employees, but part-time workers and employees whose highest level of education is less than an associate degree are more likely to have jobs with low-quality schedules.
Scheduling for part-time employees presents a mixed picture. Among those working part time (fewer than 35 hours per week), 34% have low-quality schedules — significantly higher than the 25% of full-time employees (those working 35 hours or more per week) who experience the same.
At the same time, part-time employees (39%) are also more likely than full-time employees (35%) to have high-quality schedules. This mix reflects the varied nature of part-time work, which can provide valuable flexibility for some but can also mean unpredictable or unstable hours for others.
Employees without a college degree are more likely to work part time and to have a low-quality work schedule (31%). While higher educational attainment is generally associated with better work schedules, it doesn't offer full protection: More than one in four employees with an associate degree (26%) and over one in five with a bachelor's degree (22%) still report having a low-quality schedule.
Quality Schedule, Quality Life
Previous research shows that poor work schedules can harm workers’ finances, health and family life. 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 (see footnote 1).
The American Job Quality Study reveals that employees with jobs that have high-quality schedules tend to feel more financially secure, have better work-life balance (meaning fewer conflicts between work and personal life) and be happier with their jobs than employees who have low-quality schedules.
Rob*, a maintenance worker interviewed for this study, values that his employer lets him adjust his schedule during the school year to take care of his three grandsons. He explained, “My son is divorced, and he had to move back in with us. He’s got three sons, and we’ve got them 50% of the time. I get them after school and go through their homework with them. That’s why I leave early. But then I work a longer day on Fridays to make up for the lost time. … It’s nice to be able to work when you want and still get things done.”
More than half of employees with low-quality schedules (57%) report that their work often or sometimes conflicts with their personal life, while only 39% of those with high-quality schedules say the same. Additionally, nearly four in 10 employees with low-quality schedules (38%) say they are just getting by or struggling to get by financially, compared with 23% of those with high-quality schedules.
For employees in low-wage jobs, having hours cut, even slightly, can create financial hardship. Jenny*, a retail worker interviewed for this study, explained that her employer was “shorting” workers, cutting the hours they were scheduled to work from 40 to 38. “If I’m just working 38 hours, it makes a pretty big financial impact for me personally,” Jenny said.
Further, employees with low-quality schedules report lower job satisfaction than those with high-quality schedules — about a full point lower on a zero-to-10 scale. The differences in overall life satisfaction and general happiness are smaller but still significant.
Implications
When workers lack high-quality schedules, it’s not just their wellbeing that suffers — employers and the broader economy are affected too. 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.
Research shows that implementing better scheduling practices can reduce employee turnover across service sector jobs2 and white-collar jobs.3 In retail, improved scheduling has been linked not only to lower labor costs but also to increased sales.4
This study shows that scheduling challenges are widespread, highlighting the urgent need for policies and practices that promote better job design and a new conversation about what it really means to have a “good job” in today’s economy.
This article focuses on one component of job quality — scheduling. Future articles will reveal additional insights into other vital aspects of work today, including worker voice, opportunities for growth and learning, and more.
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Footnotes
[1] Kelly, E., Rahmandad, H., Wilmers, N., & Yadama, A. (2023). How do employer practices affect economic mobility? ILR Review, 76(5), 792-832.
[2] Choper, J., Schneider, D., & Harknett, K. (2021). Uncertain time: Precarious schedules and job turnover in the US service sector. ILR Review, 75(5), 1099-1132.
[3] Kelly, E., & Moen, P. (2020). Overload: How good jobs went bad and what we can do about it. Princeton University Press. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691179179/overload
[4] Kesavan, S., Lambert, S., Williams, J., & Pendem, P. (2022). Doing well by doing good: Improving retail store performance with responsible scheduling practices at the Gap, Inc. Management Science, 68(11), 7818-7836.
