According to People Management nearly two thirds of variable hours workers get less than a week’s notice for shift changes or their rota. Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, says this has to change.
She has asserted that no-one should have their shifts cancelled without proper notice and compensation. “Over half of workers on zero-hours contracts have had shifts cancelled at less than a day’s notice.”
In a competitive world, employers in the hospitality, retail and care sectors, among others, struggle to strike a balance between the work available and the cost of that work. With that cost being limited by a minimum hourly rate, managing labour cost becomes a matter of managing hours.
Add to that the volatility of work in the pandemic environment and these figures about short notice are not surprising.
If it were a living salary, not a living wage, the picture would be different. Labour costs might rise. But, with a level playing field, that cost may be passed on. Reducing costs could change to addressing productivity (which is low in the UK). That approach may be better than managing costs by minimising hours.
However, the national minimum wage is likely to be with us for some time to come.
It is that minimum wage, and the need to manage cost by hours, that leads to those zero hours contracts.
Zero hours was a concept that fitted well with “Saturday jobs”, and student lives. It has now spawned to dominate the lower end of the labour market. Millions of young workers coming from lower wages and opportunities in Europe may have accepted the concept easily. But now many of these have families and their circumstances have changed.
The effect of short notice and cancellations on employees’ well-being can be substantial. For many, decisions on childcare, transport, and simply how to manage their lives, can be difficult. Making arrangements with little warning will create stress. We will not attract the best workers if we create stress in their lives.
Furthermore, with some workers (following Brexit) returning to their native lands, the prospect of a growing economy and the consequent competition for labour, zero hours may cease to be fit for purpose.
A week’s notice for shift changes could become a thing of the past.
Malcolm Martin FCIPD
Author Human Resource Practice
Blogs are for general guidance and are not an authoritative statement of the law