Low-Paid Workers in US – What do they think would improve their working lives?

The mounting challenge of in-work poverty, combined with public scrutiny over employment practices including zero-hour contracts, has shone the spotlight on employers of low-paid workers. But how do these workers feel about work, and what do they think would most improve their working lives? This study explored the experiences and perceptions of low-paid, low-income workers in the retail, hospitality and care sectors.

Key points

• While many workers valued the overall flexibility and convenience offered by low-paid work, they often described their day-to-day experience as stressful, characterised by ever-changing targets, feeling understaffed, overstretched and unsupported by senior management.
• Low-paid, low-income workers had purely functional relationships with their jobs, with very few expectations of their employer and for their own prospects in the company. Symbols of insecurity such as low- or zero-hour contracts and staff turnover tended to further reinforce this.
• When workers were asked to consider what they would most like to change about their jobs, they invariably focused on pay. This was usually their base rate of pay, but also fairer recognition of their time spent at work, including breaks, time in training and overtime.
• As most low-paid workers’ primary objective was to be able to support their families while working in a job that fitted around their lives, actions that would provide greater security outside work were also appealing to them, including paid sick leave and support with childcare.
• With low expectations of their employers and cynicism about their employers’ motivations, low- paid workers were clear that a sound business case would have to be made for any changes in their working conditions: namely, that better staff satisfaction would translate directly into greater customer satisfaction and profit.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  What do low-paid workers think would improve their working lives? | Joseph Rowntree Foundation.