The Flextime Blues
When workers aren’t earning much and their hours are erratic, they become reluctant to spend money—and this reluctance extends to the very businesses that are setting unpredictable schedules. Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, recently lowered its profit forecast for the rest of the year. “Our customers are still under pressure,” said Charles Holley, the company’s chief financial officer.
.. The managers, at least, have reliable schedules and predictable incomes. For low-wage workers, flexibility favors only their employers, who maintain a large pool of part-timers in order to make it easier to shuffle schedules. When employees request flexibility for themselves—to work around college classes or child-care availability—they tend to be penalized.