Catherwood LibraryILR School

Historically, only a handful of professionals have enjoyed control over when or where they worked. But some companies, including Citigroup and others, are offering greater flexibility to hourly workers with traditionally rigid schedules as a way to reduce turnover, increase efficiency or compete in tighter labor markets. Their efforts, driven by the demands of a round-the-clock economy and the complexities of people's lives, mark an important shift in thinking about how to manage masses of lower-paid employees who make up an increasing percentage of the workforce. There is no data on how many hourly employees have some degree of control over their schedules, but experts say the percentage is small.