With so many studies out there showing how workers want flexible schedules, it would seem to be a no-brainer to offer flexible work schedules to your employees. But now a new study has come along that seems to debunk this theory.
In the Washington Center for Equitable Growth article, “Are Employees Willing to Forgo Pay for Better Work Schedules,” new research seems to suggest that workers would be willing to sacrifice pay in order to have, not flex, but rather a traditional 9-to-5 schedule.
The paper, conducted by economists Alexandre Mas of Princeton University and Amanda Pallais of Harvard University, featured a study of a call center and its hiring process in order to determine not only how much flexible schedules meant to workers but also how much they were willing to sacrifice in pay in order to have their ideal work schedules. Around 7,000 applicants for the job were offered a choice between a Monday-Friday, 9-to-5 work schedule or one that had an alternative schedule.
The study found that workers were willing to forgo a decrease in wages (a whopping 20 percent) in order to not have a job with an irregular schedule that had evening or weekend hours.
So how can this data, which contradicts popular opinion about work schedules and flexibility, make sense?
Well, part of it can be due to the fact that the traditional job as well as the alternative job differed in hourly pay (from 25 cents to $5 an hour).
It wasn’t mentioned which job paid more—or less—but it’s safe to assume that a trickier schedule coupled with less pay could have contributed to applicants preferring the traditional job over the alternative one.
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And from a broader perspective, the group that opted for the regular job only makes up about one-quarter of those surveyed—hardly enough to say that most workers would prefer a traditional schedule.
In tune with today’s demand for flex, though, the study found that about 25 percent of those surveyed said that they would be willing to forfeit about 14 percent of their wages in order to work remotely. Similarly, women tended to favor alternative work arrangements more than men, which is also common.
What is flexible work, really?
Another factor to keep in mind is that the two options—a Monday-Friday, 9-to-5 schedule or an alternative schedule comprised of nights and weekend hours—isn’t truly a flexible work arrangement.
While many workers might want flex, they might not want to have to work nights and weekends, but would rather customize their schedule to fit their lifestyle and the needs of each day. Faced with those two choices, workers might have preferred working during daytime hours as opposed to a set nighttime and weekend schedule.
The article even suggests that the research conducted only applies to one set group of people applying for one specific job at a call center and it’s unclear how this data will apply to the entire workforce and its needs for flexible work.
This is what we can take away from this study:
It’s always good to have new studies and fresh perspectives on workplace flexibility. This study does reiterate the belief that many people would be willing to forgo pay for flex, and that women and mothers tend to be the ones who prefer flexible work arrangements.
What would perhaps have made for a more interesting study would have been to offer a third option in the form of flexible schedules and see how many applicants would have opted for workplace flexibility in its truest form.
Check out the benefits of allowing employees a flexible schedule.
Readers, what do you think of this study’s findings about work schedules? Let us know in the comments below!
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