Our Nation’s Current Workplace Landscape

Organizations that increase worker control over how, when, and where work is done can avoid work and life conflicts, build more trust in workplaces and co-workers, and improve health. Leaders can increase worker control over scope of work, process for accomplishing projects, and scheduling and location—including condensed hours or work weeks and remote or hybrid work arrangements. These measures can reduce turnover as workers report greater productivity and increased satisfaction with work.

Unstable and unpredictable scheduling is linked to increased income volatility, an increased risk of economic hardship, which can degrade physical and mental health. Schedule irregularity among workers can also lead to work-life conflicts that negatively affect relationships both in and out of the workplace, including behavioral and mental health challenges in children of working parents. Workers with disabilities who need accommodations for transportation or personal care are further impacted by schedule instability. Employers can implement policies such as flexible start and end times to work days, and not penalizing workers with lost wages when personal, family needs, or emergencies arise.

Organizations should increase access to paid leave—sick leave, paid family and medical leave (including paid parental leave), and paid time off for vacation. The U.S. remains the only advanced economy in the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) that does not guarantee paid medical and family leave to its workforce. While paid sick leave is available to 79% of U.S. civilian workers, this percentage varies significantly among wage categories. For those whose average hourly wage is in the lower 10% of workers, only 35% have access to paid sick leave. Black and Hispanic workers are disproportionally affected. Paid family leave access is the least common, available to only 23% of civilian workers overall. Unequal and limited access to paid leave, particularly sick and medical leave, can contribute to the spread of infection at work, decreased productivity, workplace burnout, and labor shortages. Increasing access to paid leave can reduce the likelihood of lost wages by 30%, positively affect the physical and mental health of workers and their children, and improve retention.

When workplace leaders set, respect, and model clear boundaries between time on and off the job, workers report a greater sense of well-being. By not penalizing workers for this flexibility needed, leaders can alleviate anxiety or fears of missing work demands. This helps workers have the time needed for rest to optimize their health, productivity, and creativity. Organizations can also establish policies to limit digital communication outside of work hours.