Antoaneta Törner

Service companies often adopt on‐demand scheduling to balance labor costs and fluctuating market demand. However, research shows that such practices can reduce worker productivity and retention. In this study, we examine how on‐demand scheduling affects two critical outcomes: worker absenteeism and patient dissatisfaction. We extend the conceptualization of undesirable scheduling by introducing schedule discontinuity —the presence of unpaid interruptions within a worker's daily schedule—alongside the more commonly studied schedule inconsistency , or variability in work hours across weeks. Using data on 1.2 million home care visits in a Canadian healthcare provider, we find that both schedule inconsistency and discontinuity significantly increase absenteeism and patient dissatisfaction. Specifically, moving from the 25th to 75th percentile in discontinuity (inconsistency) raises absenteeism by 20.00% (19.29%), and customer complaints by 27.33% (40.27%). To assess the practical implications for employers, we formulate and solve a schedule optimization problem that minimizes schedule discontinuity (or inconsistency), while satisfying demand and supply constraints. Applying a machine learning predictive model to these optimized schedules, we estimate reductions in the probability of absenteeism by 9.5% (8.2%) and in the probability of patient complaints by 7.7% (2.3%), demonstrating that modest scheduling adjustments can substantially improve worker and service outcomes.

Problem definition: We investigate the effect of using subcontracted workers together with permanent workers on project financial performance. Academic/practical relevance: It is widespread practice, across disparate businesses, to staff project teams with subcontracted workers-and yet, despite the prevalence of this phenomenon, there is scant research on how subcontracted workers impact project performance. Investigating such an effect is important because past findings on the effects of subcontracting in retail or assembly lines cannot be hastily extrapolated to the more qualified workers and more demanding tasks normally associated with project environments. Methodology: Building on previous findings about the higher motivation level of subcontracted versus permanent workers when the latter are protected from individual dismissal by the law, we develop hypotheses to conceptualize how and under what conditions subcontracted workers positively impact project performance. We then test our hypotheses by analyzing 413 projects of a European high-tech firm. Results: We find that with increased use of subcontracted workers comes increased project profit margins. This positive effect is stronger for larger teams and weaker when large project scope changes occur or when higher-skilled workers are subcontracted. We also find this effect to be stronger when subcontracted workers are involved in technical rather than administrative roles and when subcontractors join in the later stages of the project. Managerial implications: This study offers guidelines on how project managers can use subcontracting to increase project margins, highlighting strategic and tactical factors that affect the benefits of using subcontracted labor.