Half of working parents have passed up a job which would conflict with family obligations, but two-thirds of workers feel employers are making gains in offering flexibility
The vast majority of Americans (89%) feel employers should try to offer workers flexibility to meet their families' needs, so long as the work gets done, signaling a strong sentiment in favor of the concept of flexible workplaces. What's more, over half (52%) of U.S. workers (not including those self-employed) – and nearly six in ten working parents (58%) – feel they could do their job better if they were allowed a more flexible work schedule. Similarly, 43% of workers and 46% of working parents say they could do their job better if they were allowed a more consistent and/or predictable schedule.
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 4,096 U.S. adults surveyed online between May 27 and 30, 2014.
In fact, U.S. companies may be making some real gains in this area, as two-thirds of both overall Americans (67%) and, more specifically, U.S. workers (66%) believe employers are getting better at offering workers flexibility to meet their families' needs.
"Workplace flexibility has moved from a niche concern to a mainstream reality," says Karen Kornbluh, Executive Vice President of External Affairs at Nielsen. "Men, women, parents, Millennials are all interested — if it makes business sense — and employers seem to be responding."
This progress may be increasingly important over time, as Millennial workers seem especially optimistic about flexible work schedules' ability to improve job performance: over six in ten (61%) believe they could do their job better if they were allowed a more flexible schedule.
Career implications
This perceived improvement comes none too soon, as the struggle to achieve work-life balance seems to be impacting the career trajectories of many Americans; three in ten (29%) have chosen to pass up a job they felt would conflict with family obligations, and two in ten believe they've been "passed over" at some point for a promotion, a raise or a new job due to a need for a flexible (21%) or a consistent and/or predictable (also 21%) work schedule.
Predictably, these obstacles are particularly prevalent among working parents, and even more so among single working parents:
Half of working parents (49%) and nearly six in ten single working parents (57%) have chosen to pass up a job they felt would conflict with family obligations.
Over a third of working parents (36%) and over half of single working parents (54%) believe they've been "passed over" at some point for a promotion, a raise or a new job due to a need for a flexible work schedule.
Family life implications
It's not just careers which can suffer due to the need for flexibility – family time can suffer as well. Six in ten working parents (60%) say they don't get to spend enough time with their families. "Breadwinners" – married or partnered workers who feel primarily responsible for their household's income – are hardest hit by the struggle to log adequate family time, with over seven in ten (71%) indicating they don't get to spend enough time with their families.