In response to a number of recent studies, many companies have begun to roll back scheduling practices requiring employees to be on call if they are needed, in favor of more stable, consistent scheduling. Research have found evidence that on-call shifts and inconsistent scheduling can have adverse affects on the children of employees, such as hampering children's language skills and critical thinking. In addition, those children are found to be more likely to smoke or drink at an early age. These effects are often due to the difficulties parents have in finding child care when they are on unpredictable schedules. To address the problem, lawmakers last year introduced the Schedules That Work Act, requiring companies to work with employees to create more consistent schedules.
See "The Perils of Ever-Changing Work Schedules Extend to Children’s Well-Being", Noam Scheiber, August 14, 2015