[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/zeytinoglu2.jpg” caption=”Isik Zeytinoglu”]As you pull out the cheque book to pay off holiday bills, have sympathy for the clerks who sold you those gifts in the first place. For it is the retail workers themselves who may have the most difficulty paying off presents.

Recent statistics show that retailers employ part-time and casual workers the most of any industry. These people regularly face unpredictable hours and low wages and benefits, the result of which is that they must juggle multiple jobs in order to earn a living wage. And following the busy holiday season, many front line sales staff find their hours cut, just when they may need the income the most.

Isik Zeytinoglu, professor at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, interviewed workers about their experiences as part-timers while conducting her research. One clothing store clerk said, “I worked over Christmas, and I worked so many hours that I didn't feel like I could celebrate Christmas the way I wanted to.”

More than half of the people interviewed had difficulty with their work schedules and hours. Another study participant said, “We used to get 40 hours and now, it's 24 hours or under (per week). And some people are getting five hours (per week).”

Precariousness in the work environment of part-time and casual workers contributes to stress and workplace problems which lead to high levels of absenteeism and turnover and in some cases conflicts between employees and supervisors.

“Most part-time and casual workers are women who need these jobs in order to support themselves and their families,” says Zeytinoglu. “They are one of the most marginalized groups of workers in our society. Their uncertain employment conditions create an environment where they are powerless – neither heard, nor seen – even though they provide services to consumers in the 24-hour, seven-day-a-week North American economy.”

Zeytinoglu's findings are published in the journals Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations and Women & Health. The research was funded by the Status of Women Canada, Policy Research Fund and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).