Dive Brief:
- Fair Workweek laws have improved scheduling predictability for service sector workers and led to a 13 percentage point increase in the number of workers who were given the schedules at least two weeks in advance, according to a new study published in Science Advances. The result has been a baseline improvement of scheduling notice by about 29%.
- In addition, the percentage of workers who were made to endure back-to-back closing and opening shifts dropped by eight percentage points, or about 19% over the baseline, per the study, which is the most of its kind to date. Last-minute schedule changes decreased by six percentage points.
- “Overall, we see no evidence that employers reduced wages or benefits in response,” the survey said. Instead, the report found that employees who were covered under Fair Workweek laws didn’t see any reductions in paid sick leave, employer-sponsored health insurance, dental coverage or paid vacation. “If anything, there is evidence of modest increases in health insurance coverage,” the report found.
Dive Insight:
The research drew on data from more than 87,000 hourly workers in Seattle, Oregon, New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago, collected over the course of seven years. Known as the Shift Project, it is an original survey dataset built specifically to assess Fair Workweek laws.
“Fair Workweek laws are doing what they promised: giving service-sector workers more predictable schedules and more rest between shifts, without cutting their pay or benefits,” Daniel Schneider, the Malcolm Wiener Professor of Social Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and co-director of the Shift Project, said in a statement. “Our findings show that when these laws are paired with strong local enforcement, they can be a powerful model for improving job quality and financial stability for millions of workers across the country.”
According to the findings, New York City saw the most progress. The region “has pursued the most high-profile enforcement actions and largest financial settlements for Fair Workweek violations,” per the report, and as a result saw an increase of 25 percentage points in advance notice. In Philadelphia, that rate grew by just 5 percentage points. Report authors said the disparity was the result of local enforcement activity, and said New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection was “a model of organizational commitment” to Fair Workweek laws.
“Hourly workers in the service sector — such as cashiers, cooks, and retail associates — have long dealt with low wages and highly unpredictable schedules, including last-minute cancellations and timing changes and fluctuating hours, all with limited advance notice,” a press release said. “Studies have linked this instability to negative effects on health, family life, and financial security.
Beginning in 2014, a number of cities and Oregon enacted Fair Workweek laws, “but until now there has been limited comprehensive evidence on their effectiveness and whether they create unintended costs for workers,” the release said.