An evidence base for frontline flexibility
Dr Neeru Choudhary and I recently published a systematic review of flexible working arrangements for frontline workers in the Journal of Work‑Applied Management. We brought together the international evidence on what flexible working really means for people on the frontline and what it takes for employers to make it work in practice.
The benefits of flexibility at the frontline
One important highlight from our review is that flexible work is often worth more to frontline staff than a pay rise. For many, the ability to influence when (and, if possible, where) they work, through more predictable rosters, input into shift patterns or easier shift swaps, is what allows them to balance jobs with caring responsibilities, study, health needs and community life. It’s worth reflecting that an extra dollar an hour might matter less to your retention strategy than having a pattern of work that is actually sustainable.
That leads to another important benefit, which is staff retention. Frontline workers who experience genuine flexibility are more likely to stay with their employer than those in rigid, one‑size‑fits‑all schedules. In tight labour markets that makes flexible scheduling a strategic tool for keeping experienced people, protecting service quality and reducing the costs of recruitment and onboarding.
We also found strong links between flexible scheduling and wellbeing outcomes such as burnout risk and absence. Inflexible, last‑minute or constantly changing rosters tend to drive stress, fatigue and work-family conflict, which show up as higher burnout and more sickness absence over time. When people have more control and predictability, they can rest properly, plan their lives and recover from demanding work, and this is associated with lower burnout risk and less unplanned time off.
The challenge of flexibility at the frontline
With all these benefits, why then is this not yet happening for all frontline workers? Implementing flexible scheduling at the frontline is not easy. Organisations face real constraints: fixed staffing and safety requirements, legacy rostering systems, and well‑established assumptions about what is and is not possible in customer‑facing and 24/7 environments. Managers worry about fairness and workload and many feel they lack the tools, guidance and permission to agree new patterns.
How to make progress with flexibility at the frontline
Treating flexibility as a work design challenge is a good start. Begin by understanding the work, its demand patterns, peaks, safety and quality requirements. Then deliberately explore where there is room to move on timing, length and distribution of shifts. We highlight the value of structured pilots (for example, testing more predictable rosters, self‑rostering within clear boundaries or alternative shift configurations) with defined measures such as burnout, absence and turnover.
We also emphasise the importance of support for frontline leaders. When managers have simple decision frameworks, suitable rostering tools and organisational backing, flexibility becomes more transparent and manageable, rather than ad hoc and dependent on who asks. Involving staff in co‑designing patterns and being explicit about constraints helps build a sense of fairness, even where not every request can be met.
For business leaders and HR professionals, the takeaway from our systematic review is straightforward: flexible work scheduling for frontline staff is not a soft benefit at the margins; it is a core lever in your overall employment offer and remuneration strategy, with benefits to retention, wellbeing and absence. The question is not whether you can afford to offer more flexibility at the frontline, but whether you can afford not to.