Contrary to the narrative put forth by many HR studies, men want flexibility too, according to WorkL.
“The strongest and most consistent theme found when analysing our qualitative data on male employees is a desire for better work-life balance and flexibility,” the U.K. firm said in its first annual Global Workplace Report, published Dec. 2. Researchers highlighted the male respondents’ desire in particular for hybrid or work-from-home arrangements.
Moreover, the men surveyed by WorkL “are requesting specific and practical help for flexibility,” including options like a more defined hybrid work policy or a four-day workweek.
A change in the “flexibility at work” conversation
While no group of people is a monolith, the WorkL findings are noteworthy because researchers tend to focus on women’s desire for flexible scheduling.
This is often because women are disproportionately saddled with childcare and household duties due to gender norms. This double set of responsibilities is encapsulated by the 1989 book “The Second Shift: Working Families and the Revolution at Home” by sociologist Arlie Hochschild.
Recently, an Atlassian report highlighted how caregivers’ second shift, regardless of their gender, had taken a toll on workers. The majority of respondents told Atlassian researchers that their work to-do list and caregiving to-do list were equally long — and that they used their time off to catch up on work because of this double bind.
But especially throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, caregiving researchers mainly highlighted how women felt strained by the immediacy of caring for kids while working from home.
McKinsey and Co.’s “Women in the Workplace” report catalogued this sentiment year after year. The 2020 report in particular showed that parents were more likely than nonparents to consider stepping back from their career — and also that mothers were more likely than fathers to consider such a change.
Likewise, in 2021, Gartner’s data suggested that most moms felt that their relationship to work was indelibly changed by the pandemic. As a result of findings like these, workplace experts have been emphasizing robust benefits packages as the antidote to women’s attrition from the workforce for the past five years.
By contrast, WorkL researchers noted these findings about men from the Dec. 2 report marked a shift in the flexibility conversation, signifying “a growing comfort among men in expressing workplace needs more openly.” They noted this change “reflects wider societal conversations about male wellbeing and vulnerability.”
Still, a well-being divide remains
The WorkL researchers noted that men’s seemingly increased vulnerability coincided with increased engagement, as represented by their year-over-year data. Last year, 75% of U.K. men surveyed by WorkL expressed satisfaction with the amount of hours they worked, compared to 78% of U.K. men this year who said the same.
Still, U.K. men reported slightly higher engagement than U.K. women (74% vs 73%) and women were more likely than men to consider leaving their job (25% vs 22%).
This was “driven by challenges around caring responsibilities, uneven support for health needs, and inconsistent flexibility,” researchers said.
