62% Say Their Employers Can And Do Support Flex, While 26% Can But Don't; 59% of Working Dads Would Work Part-time, But 36% Say Part-timers Are Looked Down Upon
A new survey shows seismic changes in how men use work flexibility.
A new report entitled How Men Flex: The Working Mother Report surveyed 1,000 U.S. men to better understand how they are navigating work and home responsibilities — and how they are putting flex to work. About eight in 10 men surveyed say they have flexible schedules (77%) and feel comfortable using flex (79%).
The survey found that more than half (62%) of the men surveyed say their employer can and does support flex, but about a quarter (26%) say their employer could support flex, but doesn't.
Interestingly, 59% of the working dads surveyed say they would choose part-time if they could still have a meaningful career, but 36% of them believe it's looked down upon at their organization.
How Men Flex was conducted by the Working Mother Research Institute (WMRI) and sponsored by Ernst & Young LLP in honor of the second annual National Flex Day, to be held Tuesday, Oct. 21st, 2014. Working Mother Media created National Flex Day in 2013 to shed light on the issue of workplace flexibility, encouraging a dialogue about the topic on social media using the hashtag #flexday.
Here are some of the key findings of the How Men Flex report:
- Most men believe partners should equally share child care (88%) and chores (83%), and dads surveyed who do work flexibly spend the extra time they gain taking care of family (85%) and taking care of household needs (49%).
- About three-quarters of the men surveyed (74%) believe "a parent should be home with children after school."
- The majority (65%) feels a working mother sets a positive example for children.
- Survey respondents who work from home more often are more likely to feel that their work commitment is questioned by others. A total of 60% of respondents who work from home 5 days per week say they feel that way vs. 43% who work from home 1-2 days per week and 41% who use flex generally.
- Eight out of 10 men say they would be comfortable with their spouse as the primary breadwinner.
- Surprisingly, 39% revealed they would prefer to be a stay-at-home parent.
Carol Evans, president, Working Mother Media, says, "It's surprising how much men are now embracing flex, and dreaming of more! Women pioneered flexible work arrangements and have fought long and hard to help companies understand the huge benefits of flex in terms of productivity, engagement, retention and advancement. Working mothers are leading the way to establish a more sophisticated relationship between work and home, and I'm thrilled to see men realizing how important it is to the quality of their satisfaction at work and at home."
Karyn Twaronite, EY Global Diversity & Inclusiveness Officer, adds: "Men are too often an afterthought in conversations about working parents and workplace flexibility. Our experience and research show we have to shift our thinking, our offerings and our communications to be much more modern and more inclusive of men. Everyone wants to have meaningful work and personal lives and flexibility is a great equalizer, helping men and women to achieve their professional and personal goals."
Additionally, Jennifer Owens, editorial director, Working Mother Media, says: "Men are facing their own demands and tapping flexible work as an answer to their increasing responsibilities. While working moms have led the fight for flex, we can't assume that ours is the only way. We must ask men what they need to be the best employees and best fathers they can be and how flex can work for them as well."
Flexibility and Satisfaction
WMRI researchers looked across 11 different categories of work-life satisfaction and discovered men with access to flex reported they are happier, more productive, have higher morale and loyalty, and better relationships with co-workers. The survey reports on satisfaction levels for men whose employer encourages flex vs. those who don't and discovered a wide disparity of satisfaction. See the chart below for select findings.
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Which Flex Is Best?
Most men prefer a mix of working from home as well as the office. The most popular option was working in the office full-time but occasionally from home, which was chosen by 25%, followed by working from home 1-2 days a week (23%).
Also noteworthy is the finding that men who telecommute 5 days a week are the most stressed—even more than men with no flex at all. These respondents report feeling they can't get away from work (58%), that their commitment to the job is questioned (60%) and that they are isolated (52%).
Travel is also an important consideration for employers when it comes to examining workplace flexibility. The Working Mother report found that more than half (54%) of working fathers would reject a job with frequent overnight travel.
Lastly, responses from male managers suggest that although they recognize the value in offering their reports flexibility, doing so may present significant management challenges. In fact, while eight out of 10 male supervisors believe employees should have access to flex, 39% went so far as to say they wish they didn't have to manage employees who work flexibly.
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