CONTACT:
Daniel Schneider, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Contact: djschneider@berkeley.edu
Kristen Harknett, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, San Francisco.
Contact: kristen.harknett@ucsf.edu
BERKELEY, CA –The Shift Project at the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at the University of California, Berkeley, released a new brief today that explores the work and family lives of low-wage workers in the state of Washington.
Titled “Working in the Service Sector in Washington State,” the research brief highlights findings from a unique survey dataset of 3,847 Washington service sector workers (excluding Seattle, where a secure scheduling law was enacted in 2017). The majority of those surveyed by Shift experience routine schedule instability and unpredictability, which create hardships and stress for themselves and their families. For example:
- 67% report irregular or variable work schedules
- 56% receive their work schedules less than two weeks in advance
- 38% worked consecutive closing/opening shifts (“clopenings”)
These scheduling practices impact workers’ personal and family lives. Two-thirds of workers say that their work schedule causes extra stress. Another 70% say their work schedule makes it hard to meet caregiving responsibilities. The researchers also see evidence of possible negative effects on health and wellbeing.
“Work schedules matter for employees’ financial security and wellbeing,” said co-author Daniel Schneider, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. “We find that workers with the most unpredictable work schedules are twice as likely as those with stable schedules to have experienced hunger hardship. They are significantly more likely to sleep poorly or report psychological distress.”
The brief focuses on Washington respondents who do not work in the City of Seattle, where scheduling laws covering around 50,000 workers have been in effect since 2017. “Seattle’s secure scheduling legislation offers workers more predictable work schedules,” said co-author Kristen Harknett, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, San Francisco.
“Meanwhile, more than 400,000 service sector workers in Washington State are not covered, meaning they are not entitled to advance notice of their work schedule or to compensation for last-minute schedule changes.”
View The Shift Project research brief.
Study co-authors:
Daniel Schneider, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley
Kristen Harknett, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, San Francisco
Megan Collins, Project Manager for The Shift Project at the University of California, Berkeley