Seattle’s 2017 scheduling law improved shift predictability, boosting worker sleep, financial stability, and well-being—showing how fair scheduling policies enhance workforce health and productivity.
Background: In 2017, Seattle implemented the Secure Scheduling Ordinance, mandating that large retail and food service employers provide hourly workers with at least 14 days' notice of their work schedules. This policy aimed to address the prevalent issue of unpredictable scheduling in the service sector.
Study Overview: A peer-reviewed study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences analyzed two years of data from Seattle's shift workers to assess the ordinance's impact. The research was conducted by Kristen Harknett (University of California, San Francisco), Daniel Schneider (Harvard Kennedy School), and Veronique Irwin (formerly at UC Berkeley).
The study underscores the tangible benefits of predictable scheduling, highlighting that policy interventions can lead to measurable improvements in workers' lives. Little enhancements to your workforce management strategy, can bring real tangible results and positive impacts to tasks being completed for an organization.
Seattle's Secure Scheduling Ordinance serves as a model for other jurisdictions aiming to enhance worker well-being through policy-driven scheduling reforms. These reforms showed positive benefits in overall well-being for Seattle's workforce. Implementing a scheduling strategy, ensuring employees have ample notice, ensures productivity and provides organization's the confidence that their workforce is showing up eager to work and complete daily activities, thus propelling the business forward.
Harvard Kennedy School. (2021, October 12). Research finds that more predictable worker scheduling improves health and well-being. Retrieved from View here
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