Why It Matters: Supporting Shift Workers
Providing practical guidance to create flexible and supportive workplaces.
Shift work is essential to many industries, but it can create unique challenges that affect employee health, work-life balance, and job satisfaction. Unpredictable schedules introduce stress, financial instability, and barriers to essential care, especially for employees navigating reproductive and maternal health needs. Without fair and transparent scheduling practices, organizations risk higher turnover, lower engagement, and decreased trust among their workforce.
Establishing predictable and equitable scheduling policies provides structure and stability that benefit both employees and employers. Written guidelines ensure consistency across managers, promote transparency in how schedules are created, and help employees plan for their personal and family needs. When scheduling practices are codified and thoughtfully implemented, they not only improve access to care but also strengthen organizational culture, retention, and employee well-being.
The Business Case for Better Shiftwork Policies
Unpredictable scheduling and lack of supportive workplace practices are major drivers of burnout and turnover in industries that rely heavily on shift workers. Employees in retail, hospitality, and service roles are increasingly leaving jobs that do not provide stability, flexibility, or trust.
Employers that address this crisis by offering predictable scheduling, fair compensation, and supportive policies see measurable improvements in recruitment, retention, and engagement. In fact, rebuilding trust with the frontline workforce is directly linked to higher employee satisfaction and reduced attrition.
These factors translate into lower hiring and training costs, stronger customer service, and improved business performance. By prioritizing equitable scheduling practices, employers not only support employee health and well-being but also protect their bottom line through increased productivity, loyalty, and long-term workforce sustainability.
How to Implement Supportive Shiftwork Policies
1. Provide scheduling at least two weeks in advance.
Workers need predictability to manage their lives outside of work. Providing schedules at least two weeks ahead provides structure that helps to reduce stress and improves overall job satisfaction. Get started with our Putting It Into Practice: Advanced Scheduling resource.
2. Allow shift-swapping.
Giving employees the ability to swap shifts with approved coworkers offers flexibility while maintaining operational coverage. This approach reduces absenteeism, prevents burnout, and empowers employees to balance personal and family responsibilities without sacrificing work commitments. Get started with our Putting It Into Practice: Shift Swapping resource.
3. Regularly check in with employees on preferences and satisfaction.
Open communication between managers and employees fosters trust and creates a more positive workplace culture. Regular check-ins allow managers to understand scheduling preferences, identify concerns early, and ensure practices are applied equitably across teams.
4. Reduce or eliminate on-call schedules.
On-call shifts introduce uncertainty, financial instability, and added stress for employees. Moving away from on-call scheduling ensures workers know exactly when they are expected to work and can rely on stable hours and income.
5. Offer guaranteed minimum hours or show-up pay.
If a shift is shortened or canceled, employees should still receive fair compensation. Offering guaranteed minimum hours or show-up pay builds trust, demonstrates respect for employees’ time, and promotes financial stability.
6. Cross-train employees.
Cross-training employees across different roles creates flexibility and resilience within the organization. It ensures business continuity when unexpected absences occur while also providing employees with opportunities to develop new skills and advance their careers.
The Call to Lead: Update Your Policy Now
When implemented together, these practices create predictable, flexible, and supportive scheduling benefits for both employees and employers.
Ready to refresh your scheduling policies?
Get started with simple, effective changes that make an immediate impact. Check out our Putting It Into Practice guides for Advanced Scheduling and Shift Swapping to turn these recommendations into policy updates for your organization — complete with sample language ready to copy and paste.
