Flexible Working Arrangements Aren't Just for Women

For years, conventional wisdom held that women far more than men took advantage of flexible working arrangements to balance work/life responsibilities. Now comes a new study revealing that male employees feel equally empowered to use programs that allow flexibility in how, when and where work happens.

The Working Mother Research Institute found that 77% of men have some degree of flexibility in their work schedules, and that 79% of those men feel comfortable using flex benefits.

The study, titled “How Men Flex: The Working Mother Report,” found that 59% of working dads would choose part-time work if they could still have a meaningful career. However, 36% of them believe their organization’s leaders would look down on men making that choice.

A different study, by the Society for Human Resource Management, found that about half of U.S. employers formally offer part-time and reduced-hours schedules. Flex-time—in which employees can vary their schedules as long as they’re at their workstations during core hours—is an option for 54% of employees. Telecommuting is available in 39% of organizations.

Click through to read the entire article.