Invested

Issue One: Flexibility, Predictability, and the Challenge of Planning the Modern Work Week Issue One: Flexibility, Predictability, and the Challenge of Planning the Modern Work Week

Contents Contents

Invested
Invested | Series One: Many Roads to Quality Work |Issue One: Flexibility, Predictability, and the Challenge of Planning the Modern Work Week
Invested

Let's Get Invested

Invested gives us the valuable opportunity to hear directly from stakeholders in New England and beyond in their own words on a community issue. Learn more about our publication, our work on employment in New England, and the basics of quality jobs.

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Invested | Series One: Many Roads to Quality Work |Issue One: Flexibility, Predictability, and the Challenge of Planning the Modern Work Week
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Anatomy of a Quality Job

To kick off our four-issue series on employment, we sit down with a Boston Fed researcher to discuss the elements of a high-quality job, strategies to improve the quality of existing jobs, and impacts on policy and the economy.

An illustration of various icons representing scheduling.
Invested | Series One: Many Roads to Quality Work |Issue One: Flexibility, Predictability, and the Challenge of Planning the Modern Work Week
An illustration of various icons representing scheduling.

Introduction: Flexibility, Predictability, and the Challenge of Planning the Modern Work Week

In our first issue of Invested, we consider the complex and crucial challenge of creating work schedules that meet a variety of needs, and learn why strategic scheduling is such an important element of quality jobs and successful businesses.

An illustration of a man surrounded by items relating to his life
Invested | Series One: Many Roads to Quality Work |Issue One: Flexibility, Predictability, and the Challenge of Planning the Modern Work Week
An illustration of a man surrounded by items relating to his life

Worker Struggles: Unpredictability

In this section, we hear from three local workers dealing with unpredictable work hours and talk with an expert about reasons for the suspected rise in this type of scheduling, consequences for the workforce, and thoughts about possible solutions.

An illustration of a sun and a snowflake.
Invested | Series One: Many Roads to Quality Work |Issue One: Flexibility, Predictability, and the Challenge of Planning the Modern Work Week
An illustration of a sun and a snowflake.

The Seasonality Challenge

In this section, Invested checks in with businesses on Cape Cod to hear about an area staffing shortage and how they are doubling down on existing employee-friendly scheduling practices to stay afloat in a competitive environment this year.

An illustration of various dates and hours.
Invested | Series One: Many Roads to Quality Work |Issue One: Flexibility, Predictability, and the Challenge of Planning the Modern Work Week
An illustration of various dates and hours.

Hours that Come with the Industry: Faces of Flexibility

In this section, Invested talks with six employees across several industries with varying schedules and levels of flexibility. They share their experiences, how they've adjusted to their individual situations, and what they've learned from them.

An illustration of a mobile phone, computer, and laptop with various scheduling applications.
Invested | Series One: Many Roads to Quality Work |Issue One: Flexibility, Predictability, and the Challenge of Planning the Modern Work Week
An illustration of a mobile phone, computer, and laptop with various scheduling applications.

Changing Schedules, Part I: Policy, Technology, and Expertise

In this section, we speak with a policymaker about legislative efforts around scheduling, two technology entrepreneurs about apps that bring workers into the scheduling process, and two experts about what a truly optimal schedule might look like.

An illustration of buildings that represent large companies.
Invested | Series One: Many Roads to Quality Work |Issue One: Flexibility, Predictability, and the Challenge of Planning the Modern Work Week
An illustration of buildings that represent large companies.

Changing Schedules, Part II: Employer-Driven Solutions

In this section, we talk with six employers of varying sizes and models—from a global retailer to a small brewery and restaurant—who have proactively developed scheduling practices intended to benefit both their businesses and their employees.

An illustration of a calendar representing the challenges of scheduling.
Invested | Series One: Many Roads to Quality Work |Issue One: Flexibility, Predictability, and the Challenge of Planning the Modern Work Week
An illustration of a calendar representing the challenges of scheduling.

Concluding Thoughts and Recommendations

What have we learned about employment scheduling challenges for workers and employers, and what policies, practices, and supports can help build better, more equitable, and more predictable schedules that benefit employers and employees alike?