Unpredictable shifts, last-minute cancellations and fluctuating pay are creating ‘work-life chaos’ for the record 1.24 million people now employed on zero-hours contracts, a think-tank has warned. Rather than, as supporters argue, acting as a flexible form of employment that enables people to fit work around other responsibilities, zero-hours contracts led to “work-life chaos”, this concluded. Finally, there was a “parenthood penalty” associated with zero-hours contracts. Nurseries are often unable to accommodate last-minute changes to the schedules of parents on zero-hour contracts, leaving many reliant on family members,” it added. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Zero-hours contracts are a dream for bad bosses and a nightmare for workers.