Craft Schedules That Work for Everyone

Business leaders can improve retention and business performance with schedules that make sense for workers’ lives.

- Donald Sull and Alexander Kowalski

MELANIE WAS SEVERAL MONTHS into her new job at a warehouse, and she and her partner were still trying to balance the demands of work and family. Melanie awoke at 4 a.m. each day. She used her phone’s flashlight to locate her clothes so that she wouldn’t rouse the rest of her household, which included two sons, one of whom had special needs. Her drive to work was 30 minutes, and if she was even a second late, she could be let go.

She liked the role, especially the higher pay it provided compared with her last job, but the hours were taking a toll. Upon accepting the job, she was surprised to learn that overtime was mandatory — something not uncommon for hourly workers in the industry. That meant she had to plan months in advance to attend her children’s school events, stockpiling sick time in order to leave work when she needed to. It also meant that when she was actually sick, she had to go to work anyway. She had already canceled multiple appointments with her doctor.

Her son with special needs experienced frequent challenges, which created a dilemma: Should Melanie leave work to pick him up at school when she inevitably got the call that he needed help, and lose her job? Ultimately, Melanie’s partner chose to make the sacrifice, quitting a much-loved job to better support their kids. But Melanie wondered whether she had made the wrong choice in sticking with her employer.