Latest news with #Martincevic
Forbes
03-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
‘Micro-Shifts': Gen Z Sets Another New Workforce Trend In 2025
The new micro-shift trend is gaining popularity in the U.S. workforce, predominantly among Gen Z's ... More in the hospitality and food service industries looking for flexible work arrangements. Everything seems to be going micro this year! I've written about micro-breaks, micro-chillers and micro-retirement. Now, Gen Z is defining another popular workforce trend micro-shifts, tailored for flexibility and work-life balance to meet the needs of both employees and employers. As the cost of living continues to rise and consumer confidence nosedives, a new report shows that younger and older workers, are leveraging 'micro-shifts' to maintain flexibility and manage personal responsibilities. A new workforce report from Deputy's The Big Shift: U.S. 2025 reveals how Gen Z's are rewriting shift work in an emerging trend known as 'micro-shifts.' According to the report, micro-shifts are flexible, short (six hours or less) shifts towards more flexible work arrangements, allowing workers to balance responsibilities such as caregiving, education or multiple jobs. Micro-shifts tap into an underutilized pool of talent by challenging traditional employer-employee relationships. The latest Deputy report shows that demand for this kind of flexibility is strongest among younger workers. Micro-shifters are dominated by Gen Z, making up 51.5%, and the majority (63%) of micro-shift workers view AI positively, seeing it as a tool that improves their roles rather than replacing them. But micro-shifting isn't about working less--it's about working smarter, making sure each micro-shift works for both the employee and the employer, according to Silvija Martincevic, Deputy's CEO. Martincevic told me by email that it's not just a Gen Z thing, either. 'We're seeing shorter average shifts among both Gen Alpha and Baby Boomers, too. That tells us this is bigger than a niche trend--it's a generational shift.' The report shows that micro-shifting is most popular in the hospitality and service industries where there is less regulatory constraint, compared to sectors like healthcare. And women make up the majority of micro-shifters, but they remain concentrated in lower-paying service jobs. Notably, young women (68% Gen Z, 25% Millennials) represent most poly-workers, balancing multiple jobs to manage cost pressures. Deputy's data also found that women are transitioning into traditionally male-dominated shift work fields, such as logistics. Martincevic asserts that businesses that embrace micro-shifting will have a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining talent. 'At the same time, we see that AI is enhancing--not replacing--shift work, by optimizing scheduling and improving work-life integration. The Big Shift isn't just a report; it's a roadmap for the future of hourly work.' Martincevic identifies three factors driving the popularity of micro-shifts. First, she cites economic pressure pushing more people to juggle multiple jobs, noting that one in five workers on Deputy is poly-employed, which she believes is a clear signal that shorter, more flexible shifts aren't just convenient; they're essential. She says the second driver is technology, catching up to the realities of modern life. 'Businesses can now offer personalized scheduling at scale--meeting workers where they are, not where outdated systems expect them to be,' the CEO points out. 'AI is playing a transformative role in making this possible, too. In fact, our data shows 45% of workers report an enhanced work-life balance thanks to AI-driven scheduling, reflecting how tech is being leveraged to boost flexibility and productivity in shift-based industries. In retail and logistics, 82% of large businesses now rely on AI scheduling tools to streamline operations and enhance employee satisfaction.' The third driver, she notes, is a growing demand for in-home services and services requiring a human touch, like healthcare (+8.9%), aged care (+3.8%) and hospitality (+5.2%)--especially from higher-income households. She explains that this demand creates more opportunities for sustainable roles that move beyond the unpredictability of gig work. 'Together, these shifts create new pathways for caregivers, parents, students and anyone seeking greater control over their time,' Martincevic states. 'Deputy is helping lead this transition. Our platform enables businesses to build smarter, more flexible teams that can adapt to today's evolving labor market. With real-time scheduling and labor insights, we're making it easier to embrace micro-shifts as a pathway to a more sustainable and people-first approach to workforce management.' Paul Farnsworth, president of Dice, a tech careers marketplace, told me that micro-shifts have been around for a while, although perhaps for different reasons. 'Successful tech professionals always embraced trends similar to 'micro-shifts,'" he says. 'For example, 'micro-shifts' emphasize intentional tweaks in your career trajectory, whether that's learning a new skill or altering your work habits.' Farnsworth describes how for decades, many tech pros continually upgraded their skills and work habits on a rolling basis in order to keep up with an industry evolving at what he calls a rocket-ship pace. 'This is especially true for those just entering the tech workforce, like recent grads or boot camp alumni, who are often balancing financial pressures, ongoing learning and the need for real-world experience,' he stresses. Farnsworth believes that micro-shifting can provide the flexibility to upskill, explore different tech paths and gain hands-on experience while managing the demands of early career life. "With the emergence of AI, this need for continual learning and a constant focus on shifting one's career to meet the market is more important than ever.' As the definition of work continues to evolve, Martincevic predicts companies that adopt flexible models like micro-shifts will be better positioned to attract and retain the talent of tomorrow. 'Micro-shifts not only address the growing demand for flexibility but could also result in a five-to-10% boost to the U.S. economy due to increased labor participation (roughly $2.1 trillion),' she proposes. She adds that remote workers have already embraced this model, stepping away between calls to start laundry, pick up their kids after a meeting and logging back in later to wrap up work. 'With regulation and worker sentiment shifting toward more stable and predictable micro-shifts, companies that tap into this more personalized approach will challenge outdated assumptions about work and unlock a huge pool of untapped talent,' she concludes.
Forbes
22-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Silent Majority: 3 Factors Shaping Shift Workers' Well-Being
Shift workers well-being can't be forgotten. getty 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.
