As a specialist in diversity, equity, and inclusion, Sofia Khaira is at the forefront of helping businesses reshape their talent management for a modern workforce. Her work focuses on building environments where every employee can thrive, making her the perfect person to help us unpack the surprising findings from WorkL’s recent Global Workplace Report.
This conversation explores the shifting dynamics of workplace flexibility, moving beyond the long-held belief that it’s primarily a concern for women. We delve into the cultural currents encouraging men to voice their need for work-life balance, the critical importance of moving from vague promises to concrete policies like a four-day workweek, and the challenge of creating truly equitable support systems that address the unique and shared challenges faced by all employees.
The WorkL report highlighted that men’s top desire is better work-life balance, challenging the narrative that flexibility is primarily a women’s issue. Beyond just acknowledging this, what specific, practical steps should HR leaders take to redesign their flexibility policies to be more inclusive for all genders?
This is such a critical shift in the conversation, and it’s long overdue. For years, flexibility has been framed as a solution to women’s attrition, a reactive measure tied almost exclusively to the “second shift” of caregiving. The first practical step for HR is to completely reframe this internally. Stop designing policies for a specific demographic and start designing for universal human needs. This means actively surveying all employees, just as this report did, to understand what they want. When men explicitly ask for a defined hybrid policy or a four-day workweek, listen. The next step is to embed flexibility into the core operating model of the business, not as an accommodation, but as the default way of working for everyone, regardless of gender or family status.
The report links men’s growing requests for flexibility to a greater comfort in expressing their needs, reflecting wider societal conversations. In your experience, what cultural shifts are driving this change, and what can managers do daily to foster an environment where men feel safe asking for flexibility?
It feels like we’re finally seeing the workplace catch up to broader societal conversations about well-being and vulnerability. For decades, the professional ideal for men was one of stoicism and constant availability. That’s clearly cracking. The isolation and integrated home-work life of the pandemic accelerated this, forcing everyone to confront the reality that life happens, even during work hours. Managers are on the front lines of nurturing this change. They can start by modeling the behavior themselves—leaving on time for a child’s school event and being open about it, or taking a mental health day. They should also shift performance conversations to be outcome-focused rather than centered on hours clocked. It’s about creating a culture where a request for flexibility isn’t seen as a lack of commitment, but as a smart way to manage energy and sustain high performance over the long term.
The research shows men are requesting concrete options like a four-day workweek or a defined hybrid policy. Why is this move from abstract flexibility to specific structures so crucial, and what is the first step a company should take to successfully implement and measure such a policy?
Abstract flexibility often creates more anxiety than it solves. An unwritten rule that you can “be flexible when you need to” puts the burden on the employee to ask, negotiate, and often feel guilty. It breeds inconsistency and bias. Concrete, well-defined policies, like a company-wide hybrid schedule or a four-day workweek pilot, remove that ambiguity. It creates psychological safety because the boundaries are clear for everyone. The first step for any company is data collection. Before you launch a policy, understand your workforce’s specific needs and pain points. Then, launch a pilot program with a clear start and end date. Define your success metrics upfront—it could be engagement scores, retention rates, or productivity benchmarks—so you can measure the impact and make an informed decision about a broader rollout.
While men are speaking up more, the data shows women are still more likely to consider leaving (25% vs 22%) due to uneven support. How can organizations create equitable programs that address these persistent challenges for women without inadvertently sidelining the emerging needs of their male employees?
This is the tightrope leaders have to walk, and the key word is “equitable,” not “equal.” Equal treatment would be giving everyone the exact same flexibility options. Equitable treatment recognizes that different groups face different headwinds. The data is clear: women are leaving because of “uneven support for health needs” and “inconsistent flexibility” around caregiving. So, while you build a universal framework for flexibility that benefits everyone, you must also create targeted support systems. This could mean more robust parental leave, subsidized childcare, or specific resources for women’s health. It’s not about sidelining men; it’s about acknowledging that while men’s engagement is rising to 74%, the systemic burdens that have historically pushed women out of the workforce haven’t magically disappeared. You have to solve for both the universal desire for balance and the specific, lingering inequities.
What is your forecast for the future of workplace flexibility, especially regarding how gender roles and expectations will continue to evolve?
My forecast is that flexibility will cease to be a “benefit” and will become a fundamental, non-negotiable component of the employee value proposition, completely detached from gender. The conversation is already moving past if we should offer it to how we implement it best. As more men embrace flexible work to be more involved caregivers and partners, it will normalize it for everyone and dismantle the outdated assumption that it’s a concession for working mothers. This will force a radical redesign of career progression and leadership. The most successful companies will be those that build career paths that don’t depend on face-time or a traditional 9-to-5 structure, creating a more level playing field where talent and results are the only things that matter.
