Flexible work arrangements more important than some benefits

Flexibility in work arrangements has become even more important than parental leave and childcare benefits for many professionals, finds the ninth annual Women in the Workplace report by McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.Org.  

The report, a study of women in corporate America and Canada, shows that half of women and a third of men point to ‘offering significant flexibility in when and where employees work’ as a top factor in their companies’ future success. Notably, women were far more likely to feel set up to succeed when they worked remotely in 2023 than in 2021: 32 percent in 2023 versus 10 percent in 2021. 

The data indicates that remote and hybrid work deliver important benefits for women and men. More than 80 percent of remote workers – women and men – and about 70 percent of hybrid workers feel more efficient and productive. In addition, women (80 percent) and men (79 percent) agree that remote and hybrid work make balancing work/life easier with over half of both genders saying they experience less burnout and fatigue.  

Mothers place high premium on flexibility 

Mothers place a particularly high premium on flexibility. Without flexibility, 57 percent of mothers with young children say they would have to leave their company or reduce their work hours.  

Flexibility doesn’t exclusively mean ‘work from home.’ That’s one format of flexibility. Flexibility may be the ability to shift hours or work at home one day a week and in the office the other four. It could mean working in a different city in the summer. The core of flexibility is that employees have more control and more agency in when they work and how they work. They are focused on the output, not necessarily on clocking in from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to prove that they’re being productive. 

“What is interesting about this debate around increasing flexibility in the working model is that 80 percent of men and women say they feel most productive when they have that focused time and can do some amount of that by working remotely,” says Alexis Krivkovich, senior partner with McKinsey. “That doesn’t mean they don’t see the value in working in person. In fact, Gen Z more than anyone says they recognize that you have to get into a space and interact with colleagues to get some of the biggest benefits of mentorship, sponsorship, and learning and observing how the job is done. It’s important to be part of, and to contribute to, building a work culture. But it’s worth recognizing that this idea, that there’s a loss by embracing this flexibility, is false.” 

On-site work creates connections 

The report says that on-site work delivers benefits as well. Approximately two-thirds of employees who work on-site point to an easier time collaborating and a stronger personal connection to coworkers as the biggest benefits of working on-site. Still, it's worth noting that: 

• Men are benefiting disproportionately from on-site work: compared to women, men report they are more ‘in the know,’ more likely to receive the mentorship and sponsorship they need, and more likely to feel connected to their organization's mission and their work. 

• The culture of on-site work appears to be falling short: while 77 percent of companies believe a strong organizational culture is a key benefit of on-site work, only 37 percent of employees say this. 

As workplace flexibility transforms from a nice-to-have for some employees to a crucial benefit for most, women continue to value it more, says the report. This is likely because they still carry out a disproportionate amount of childcare and household work. Indeed, 38 percent of mothers with young children say that without workplace flexibility, they would have had to leave their company or reduce their work hours. 

Krivkovich says many companies are caught between having employees return to work full time or allowing flexibility. “It makes sense to have some of that in-person collaboration. But as we start pushing for more return to the office, so many employees are feeling frustrated when they come in because they say, ‘I commute to the office to do the same work I can do remotely. We haven’t changed anything about what’s happening when I show up in person to make it feel that it clearly has some benefits.’ 

“I think [where to work] will be one of the big questions for companies looking forward. How do they do it in a way where it continues to be equitable? Because the reality is, the in-person workplace environment wasn’t equally enjoyable to men and women even previous to the pandemic.” 

The 2023 Women in the Workplace report, a study of women in corporate America and Canada, collected information from 276 participating organizations employing more than 10 million people. At these organizations, 27,000 employees and 270 senior HR leaders shared insights on their policies and practices.