Workers
found to be happier on
zero-hour
contracts

Workers on zero-hours contracts are more likely to be happy with their work-life balance than other employees, according to a new study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The report said the use of zero-hours contracts has been “unfairly demonised” amid controversy over their widespread use.

Employees on the contracts do not know if they will have work from one week to the next, but research among 2,500 adults found that those on zero-hours are just as happy with their job as the average worker, and are more content with their work-life balance.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Just over half of the 456 zero hours workers questioned said they did not want more hours, with 38 per cent saying they would. Four out of five said they were never penalised if they were unavailable for work.

Peter Cheese, chief executive of the CIPD, said: “The use of zero-hours contracts in the UK economy has been underestimated, oversimplified and in some cases, unfairly demonised. Our research shows that the majority of people employed on these contracts are satisfied with their jobs.

“However, we also recognise that there is a need to improve poor practice in the use of zero-hours contracts, for example the lack of notice many zero-hours staff receive when work is cancelled.

“If this is unavoidable then employers should at least provide some level of compensation. In addition, it seems that many employers and zero-hours staff are unaware of the employment rights people on these types of working arrangements may be entitled to.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The CIPD said that where zero-hours contracts are being used for the right reasons, they provide flexibility for workers and employers.

The study confirmed CIPD’s previous estimate that around a million people are on zero-hours contracts, although other studies have suggested that the figure is much higher.

Steve Radley, director of policy at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, said: “The debate on zero-hours contracts has become unbalanced and needs greater focus on the benefits it can bring to both workers and employers.

“With skills in scarce supply, zero hours help employers to tap into specialist skills when they are needed and to draw on the experience of older workers. For many workers, zero hours give them the flexibility and they allow older workers to taper the transition from work to retirement.”

Related topics: