Beta Dev
OnTheClock - Employee Time Tracking
  • What We Offer
    Online Time Clock
    Payroll
    Time Off
    Tracking (PTO)
    Shift Scheduling
    GPS
    All Features
    Benefits
    Benefits
    that make your life easier
    How It Works
    Setup in
    2 minutes or less
    Integrations
    Seamless
    Payroll Integrations
  • Pricing
  • Resources
    Company
    • Case Studies
    • OTC Blog
    • Webinars
    • Help
    • Referral Program
    Free Tools
    • For Accountants
    • Accountant Marketplace
    • Time Card Calculator
    • Decimal Hours Converter
    • Time Duration Calcuator
    • Military Time Converter
    • PTO Calculator
    • U.S. Business Holidays
    • More Free Tools
  • About Us
    • Meet Us
    • Reviews
    • Philanthropy
    • Our Brochure
    • Careers
  • Contact Us
    Contact Us
    Request A Demo
    Call Us
    (888)-753-5999
Try It Free! Mobile Login OnTheClock Mobile Login Button for registered users Login
Search Search OnTheClock Website
Try It Free! Login OnTheClock Login Button for registered usersLogin

How to Make an Irregular Schedule Appealing to Employees

Updated: April 9, 2020 - By OnTheClock Team
Irregular Schedule

How to Make an Irregular Schedule Appealing

Irregular Schedule

Workers who have irregular schedules may work varying day and night shifts. They may have an unpredictable number of hours they work each week, and their shifts may change based on the company's temporary needs. Some may even have to contend with being on call. Still, others, i.e., those who are primarily involved in project work, may work from home at least a part of the time. Their schedules are often irregular by choice.

The bottom line is this: Lots of employees have irregular work schedules for a variety of reasons. This can lead to dissatisfaction, burnout, and, for the employer, high rates of absenteeism and turnover. Neither of these is good for a company’s bottom line.

How Many Workers Are Impacted By Irregular Work Schedules?

A study conducted by the Economic Policy Institute resulted in the following statistics:

  • More than 5 million people are employed part-time in one or more jobs, and these have irregular hours. Jockeying more than one part-time job is difficult, can impact family life, and can also contribute to economic instability.
  • While 10% of the workforce has irregular hours, another 7% work split or rotating shifts.
  • The lowest-paid workers are the ones that tend to have the most irregular work hours.

What Causes Dissatisfaction with Irregular Schedules?

Before we can talk about what an employer can do to make an irregular work schedule more appealing, he needs to understand why employees do not like them. Here are the most common complaints:

  • Lack of sleep, especially for those on rotating shifts and on call. It is tough for the body to adjust to continually changing awake and sleep times.
  • A disruption in an employee's family life may cause plans to be changed or canceled, sometimes without notice.
  • Difficulty pursuing higher education unless it is online.
  • If the number of hours is unpredictable, there may also be unpredictability in paychecks. 

As an employer, there may not be much you can do about these complaints. They are just part of dealing with irregular work schedules. 

What you can do, though, is take steps to make their work time as pleasant as possible and show these employees how much you appreciate them, putting things in place that demonstrate that appreciation.

Here are some things you should consider:

1. Create a “Shift-Friendly” Environment

Exactly what does this mean? Well, it can translate into several actionable initiatives:

  • Offer free snacks as workers arrive, leave, and during breaks. Otherwise, they have to use vending machines (especially during night shifts). Every once in a while, order pizza or doughnuts, and have them in the break room.
  • Brighten up the workplace with better lighting that mimics sunlight as much as possible.
  • Make sure the temperature is controlled for the most comfort.
  • Consider choices of music (with supplied headphones). Music can serve to keep workers alert and productive (and in a better mood).

Depending upon the actual workplace environment, you can probably come up with even more of these initiatives.

2. Provide Additional Compensation

While more money will not mitigate the frustration that accompanies irregular hours, it can serve as a huge motivator.

Consider the contract writing industry as an example. There are a host of online writing agencies that serve clients all over the globe – different time zones and different urgencies. In looking at several of them – Classy Essay, Studyker, Writescout, and Subjecto, for example – we find that when their writers must disrupt their normal hours of work in order to meet clients’ needs, they are compensated more for that disruption, often in the form of bonuses. The same goes for freelance writers from places such as Upwork. More is charged for the disruption of staying up all night to meet an urgent deadline or a task that may involve a huge amount of research. 

What can you do to add compensation when your workers’ lives are disrupted by emergency and/or temporary production needs that go beyond scheduled work? Overtime pay is one thing. Bonuses are more icing on the cake, though, and they do serve to motivate.

3. Acknowledge and Reward

When you ask workers to disrupt their normal employee work schedules and thus their personal lives in order to meet your production demands, you must find ways to acknowledge their sacrifices. And that acknowledgment must come with rewards. 

Verbal and written praises are always nice but they do not provide external rewards that show that appreciation in concrete ways. Here are a few things you might consider:

  • An additional day off with pay every once in a while.
  • Tickets to concerts or sporting events (give them options).
  • A membership to a 24-hour gym for those interested in fitness.
  • Gift certificates to restaurants, grocery stores, or large retailers.

Carl Jackson, HR director for Top Essay Writing service, puts it this way: “Our employees' work schedules are crazy. And we often ask them to go ‘above and beyond’ to meet client needs. When we disrupt their normal lives, we need to reward those sacrifices. Providing reward options is a hugely successful activity and has really lowered turnover rate.”

4. Provide as Much Advance Notice as Possible

Aside from the rather permanent situations of irregular work hours (e.g., regularly rotating shifts), you need to anticipate other interruptions in a worker’s normal schedule as much as possible. If you know, for example, that a huge order is coming, and that shifting work schedule requirements will change, let your employees know in advance. This allows them to plan their personal lives in advance, so there are no surprises.

Many companies use web-based time clock software that includes a scheduling tool to announce these changes, and employees can access these schedules in advance and make those all-important plans. 

As an employer who must impose irregular time schedules on your employees, you understand the challenges and frustrations this can create in your workforce. You cannot change these circumstances. But you can take steps to make the inconveniences and frustrations more “palatable.” Look at these four initiatives and see how you might be able to implement them.

Read more content like this

Check out the other posts we have written related to this article.

  • What Is a Rotating Shift?
  • 9 Best Practices for Creating Work Schedules (+ work schedule templates)
  • 4/10 Work Schedule: Definition, Pros & Cons (+Examples)
  • Alternative Work Schedules: A Quick Guide
  • Compressed Work Schedules: A Quick Guide

Related Articles

The Ultimate Guide to Flextime: What it is, types, benefits, and best practices The Ultimate Guide to Flextime: What it is, types, benefits, and best practices Continue Reading The Guide to a 9/80 Work Schedule The Guide to a 9/80 Work Schedule Continue Reading

Follow us on social media

LinkedIn OnTheClock TikTok Icon Instagram OnTheClock Instagram Icon LinkedIn OnTheClock LinkedIn Icon Twitter OnTheClock Twitter Icon Facebook OnTheClock Facebook Icon YouTube OnTheClock YouTube Icon
OnTheClock Employee Time Tracking

Written by

OnTheClock Team

OnTheClock is the perfect app for business that want to keep track of their employees' time without spending hours doing it. With OnTheClock, you can forget about the old way of doing things.

LinkedIn OnTheClock TikTok Icon Instagram OnTheClock Instagram Icon LinkedIn OnTheClock LinkedIn Icon Twitter OnTheClock Twitter Icon Facebook OnTheClock Facebook Icon YouTube OnTheClock YouTube Icon

Do you want to know more about how OnTheClock works?

Schedule a Free Demo
a thought From Jonny on 7/20/2021 ...
nice article :)
reply from OTC - Hi Jonny, we are happy that you enjoyed our blog about making an irregular schedule appealing to employees.
a thought From Ethan on 7/12/2021 ...
Great content, thanks!
reply from OTC - Thank you for reading our time clock blog, Ethan.

Leave Your Thoughts...

(required, will be shown)
(required, will not be shown)
OnTheClock - Online Employee Time Clock Online Employee Time Clock, Simple & Powerful, PTO, Scheduling | OnTheClock
is available for...
Web BrowserOnTheClock - Web Browser - Windows/Mac
Web Browser
Windows/Mac
Google PlayOnTheClock - Google Play - Android App
Android
Google Play
AppleOnTheClock - Apple - Apple App
Apple iOS
App Store
Features
  • Online Time Clock
  • Mobile Time Clock
  • Payroll
  • GPS
  • Time Off Tracking (PTO)
  • Shift Scheduling
  • Payroll Integrations
Our Company
  • Call (888)-753-5999
    19176 Hall Road, Suite #260,
    Clinton Township, MI 48038
  • Careers
  • Meet Us
  • Blog
  • Philanthropy
Customers
  • Customer Reviews
  • Customer Success Stories
  • Help Topics
  • FAQ
  • Helpful Videos
  • Uptime Reports
  • Webinars
Free Resources
  • Free TimeCard Calculator
  • Decimal Hours Converter
  • Time Duration Calculator
  • Excel Timesheet Calculator
  • Free Timesheet / Time Card Template
  • United States Business Holidays
  • More Free Tools
Join us on Social Media
We'd love to hear from you
LinkedIn OnTheClock TikTok Icon Instagram OnTheClock Instagram Icon LinkedIn OnTheClock LinkedIn Icon X OnTheClock X Icon Facebook OnTheClock Facebook Icon YouTube OnTheClock YouTube Icon Contact Us OnTheClock Contact Icon
© 2025 OnTheClock.com, LLC
Made with Love OnTheClock Made In Michigan Love Icon in Michigan
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • SaaS Agreement
Close
WOW