The Silent Majority: 3 Factors Shaping Shift Workers' Well-Being

Forbes

22-04-2025

Shift workers well-being can't be forgotten.
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During a midterm campaign in 1969, President Richard Nixon introduced the term "silent majority" to describe a large number of conservative Americans who didn't publicly express their opinions about the Vietnam War. While the phrase is predominantly used in political arenas, it has broader implications today—especially in conversations around workplace well-being. In the modern workforce, the true silent majority comprises shift workers.
Most leadership conversations around morale, performance, or well-being are filtered through the lens of desk workers. But here's the reality: 80% of the global workforce is deskless. That segment is growing and changing. According to Deputy's Big Shift Report 2025, which analyzed over 278 million hours across 41 million shifts from 429,620 shift workers, the profile of this workforce is shifting in sentiment, demographics, and expectations. You're missing most of your people if you measure culture and burnout through Zoom fatigue or Slack responsiveness. Here are three underappreciated factors shaping the future of shift worker well-being that every leader should understand.
Health and financial stability are universal priorities. And according to Deputy CEO Silvija Martincevic, even macro-level policy shifts influence workers' feelings. "We saw a 4% increase in worker sentiment right after the Fed paused rate hikes—literally, nothing else changed," she told me. Economic optimism can offer emotional relief, but it isn't enough. Wages have increased 11% since COVID. Yet, retention remains a challenge. On average, shift workers still change jobs every eight months.
As Martincevic noted, 'It's not just about financial stability now. It's about future stability. They think, 'Sure, I'm making $15/hr, but what if that job disappears tomorrow?'' Millennials, especially Gen Z, are not just money-driven. Both groups prioritize purpose, durability, and long-term security amid economic volatility, AI disruption, and policy uncertainty. While leaders can't control the Fed or global markets, they can control their own environments by offering stability, transparent communication, and financial well-being programs to help manage morale as best as possible.
Flexibility is often framed as a debate between remote and in-office work. But for shift workers, it looks different. Gen Z, now the dominant force in shift work, is reshaping this concept through micro-shifts: think 3-to-6-hour work blocks. "Gen Zs are saying, 'We want micro-shifts.' That doesn't mean less work—it means work on their terms," Martincevic shared. "Flexibility for them isn't remote work. It's stitching together a tapestry of work across different time windows and sometimes different jobs."
Deputy even had to redesign its entire scheduling infrastructure to meet this demand. Flexibility is no longer about where people work. Instead, it's about when and how. For leaders, offering autonomy in scheduling can serve as a valuable tool for reducing stress, improving well-being, and retaining top talent.
Roughly 20% of shift workers on Deputy's platform hold two or more jobs. But contrary to assumption, this isn't always out of necessity. "It's a choice. They're hedging their bets," said Martincevic. Today's workers are diversifying income streams—sometimes across industries—to reduce reliance on any one job. Many are building skills and credentials in parallel to their current work. "This isn't desperation—it's a strategic move. These workers are smart, savvy, and thinking about the future of work," she added.
For leaders, this means rethinking the definition of loyalty. Instead of expecting a singular commitment, invest in growth opportunities like cross-training and upskilling. In today's labor landscape, loyalty arises from development, not duration.
Conversations about the future of work often center on technology, remote work, and corporate perks. But shift workers—the people on their feet, running the infrastructure of daily life—rarely make it into the dialogue. That needs to change. Martincevic reminded me, 'They are the architects of the world's operations. We need to talk about how they work—because that's going to determine the future of everything.' Don't overlook the silent majority if you want your organization to lead from the front and be the standard. After all, that's where the future of work is actually being built.