Precarious Times at Work: Detrimental Hours and Scheduling in Illinois and How Fair Workweek Policies Will Improve Workers' Well-Being

Work hours and scheduling matter for the well-being of those employed throughout the state in Illinois, perhaps now more than ever. Before Chicago implemented the Fair Workweek ordinance (FWW) in July 2020, we issued a large-scale, geographically, and demographically representative survey of workers throughout Illinois, at the end of 2019, of over 3,000 employed. This survey provides a portrait of at least eight dimensions of work hours and schedules, their distribution by type of job and worker and across 23 different industries --those covered by Chicago’s ordinance and those uncovered. It tests empirically for their association with five indicators of workers’ well-being by focusing on: Wanting more hours (underemployment, hours inadequacy); Least to most hours worked (variability or instability); Irregular shift times; On-call work; Short advance notice of schedule; Schedules set by employer with little to no input from workers; Schedules changing after posting; and Overtime hours that are mandatory.