Managers' evaluations of flexible work idiosyncratic deals (I‐deals): The impact of request, requester and approver characteristics

Abstract When the onus is on employees to request flexible work arrangements, they need to individually broker flexibility idiosyncratic deals (i‐deals) with their supervisors. In two studies, we experimentally manipulated three factors: the types of appeals employees make when proposing flexibility i‐deals, the gender of the requester and the number of remote workdays requested. In Study 1, 93 participants evaluated four flexible work requests (based on caring, business case, work–life integration for well‐being or task fulfilment). Care‐and business‐based framings were more likely to be approved than the other request types. In the second study ( N = 208), we manipulated requester gender and surprisingly found no effect; that is, men and women's flexibility i‐deals were similarly approved for both the care and business case conditions. Managers were more likely to approve requests to work remotely for a shorter period, with 2 days preferred over four. Attitudes towards flexible work positively predicted approvals for any kind of appeal, highlighting the importance of managers' attitudes towards flexibility. Employees from diverse socio‐economic groups, and those working in industries with varied flexible work access, need evidence‐based research of this kind to inform their negotiations and to ensure that future flexibility requests become less idiosyncratic and more equitable.