The holidays are a critical time for retail companies and workers. The National Retail Federation anticipates that holiday sales this year will make up approximately 19 percent of the retail industry’s annual sales of $3.2 trillion. Holiday spending also impacts the paychecks, schedules, and work-life balance of the 15 million retail workers in the United States, who make up more than 10 percent of total US employment. For these workers, the holidays often amplify year-round job stress they already face, including stress caused by unpredictable and changing work schedules, on-call shifts that may not materialize, and unexpected early dismissals. Unstable schedules — combined with other common workplace conditions like lack of paid leave, low wages, and little investment in workforce training — reduce employee engagement and contribute to high turnover and job instability. Recent studies also find that this type of unstable employment has negative implications for workers’ health — and for health care costs — and for the well-being of workers’ children. Recently, however, more retailers have begun looking at how business models could include better jobs for retail workers. We invite you to take time out of your busy holiday season to learn more about retail workers’ jobs and schedules, better business models, policy remedies, and ideas for jobs that will make happy holidays for everyone.
This event features Susan J. Lambert (Associate Professor, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago), William Tompkins (Senior Vice President for Human Resources, Macy’s Inc.), Jodie Levin-Epstein (Deputy Director, CLASP), and moderator Teresa Tritch (Editorial Board Member, The New York Times).
This event is part of the Working in America series, an ongoing discussion series hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program that highlights an array of critical issues affecting low- and moderate-income workers in the United States and ideas for improving and expanding economic opportunities for working people. For more information, visit as.pn/workinginamerica.
The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals’ opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity. Learn more at as.pn/eop.