MONTREAL—Released today, the new research from WorkJam — a leading digital workplace platform — found that for nearly half of employees surveyed, one missed shift means late payments on rent, utilities, and other basic necessities.
“Today’s workforce is living paycheck to paycheck,” said 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% of respondents), missing rent (27% of respondents), and forgoing groceries for a week (25% 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 forgoing basic necessities,” he said.
But improving scheduling is a tall order for industries still reliant on outdated methods. As the study revealed, 55% of hospitality and 57%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.”