Are women flexing themselves out of the fast track?

New data raises serious doubts over the perceived benefits of hybrid work for women.

While women are more likely than men to work flexibly, Gallup’s latest research suggests that they are experiencing significantly higher levels of burnout and stress.

Women are more engaged in their work than their male counterparts. Though engaged employees are typically 26 per cent less likely to report feeling stress or burnout the previous day, this trend is not evident among female respondents.

These results suggest that hybrid work, while still particularly popular among female employees, might not be as beneficial as imagined.

“Although hybrid gives workers the flexibility to handle the demands of life, women using it to do just that might find themselves facing loftier and even more unrealistic expectations (from themselves and society) to do it all’”, said Kristen Lipton in an article for Gallup.

The report also pointed to potential negative implications for career advancement arising from taking advantage of hybrid work arrangements – a phenomenon that would disproportionately affect female workers.

“The negative outcomes can be exacerbated if your workforce isn’t using your flex work policy evenly,” said Gallup, “intangibles like mentoring and sharing real-time feedback are easier to deliver in person”.

The findings accord with a study by the University of Virginia and Harvard University that found that while hybrid work might boost productivity, it comes at the cost of early-career development.

Similarly, Gallup found that younger hybrid workers “struggle with onboarding and development”.

Further, in another survey, 45 per cent of women business leaders reported that it is more difficult for women to speak up in virtual meetings, while 20 per cent said they felt overlooked or ignored by colleagues on video calls.

While employees should think beyond policy to the real ramifications of hybrid working, the burden ought to be shared.

As noted by Martine Haas, professor of management at Wharton School of Business, “managers also have an important role: to create and maintain balance between those who are working remotely and those who are in the office, by recognising the inequalities in their resources and visibility and making concerted efforts to offset them”.

Research shows that women, and mothers in particular, are often assumed to be less committed to their work. Taking advantage of hybrid work opportunities could serve to exacerbate this stereotype.

Hybrid working, when complemented with cultural acceptance and case-by-case consideration of the benefits and costs, can be a godsend for working women. But it must be done right.

The Gallup article suggested that management practices should be updated to mitigate the hidden disadvantages of hybrid policy by considering the following:

1. Does your advertised policy match what employees are actually doing?
2. Are employees who work flexibly unknowingly sacrificing opportunities for development and advancement?
3. How do your managers track and reward great performance?
4. How is accountability shared in a hybrid environment?

“Whatever policy your organisation lands on for hybrid work, be sure to consider all the angles, not just what’s immediately obvious,” said Professor Haas.

“Introduce or reinforce mechanisms and safeguards to protect those who use flexible work arrangements, so they aren’t sacrificing career advancement for flexibility.”