Task and Role Flexibility as Enablers of Work–Life Balance among Women Information Technology Professionals

Abstract The fast-growing information technology (IT) industry has offered new employment opportunities to women and new work structures that are demanding and involve long working hours, tight deadlines, global teams, continuous connectivity and high performance expectations. These demands are often compounded for women in the IT profession, especially when married and having children and caring responsibilities. Workplace flexibility, as a tool, has become a significant option to deal with competing work and life demands in this context. To address these issues, the paper investigates two aspects of flexibility – task flexibility and role flexibility – and how they can aid in work–life balance for women working in the IT sector. Task flexibility is the degree of freedom and discretion that workers have in relation to how, when and, in some instances, where work tasks are executed. Role flexibility is the ability to adapt/modify, redistribute or temporarily change professional role due to personal/organisational situations. The paper suggests that these forms of flexibility can help to alleviate work–family conflict, increase autonomy, increase job satisfaction, and support women's retention and career continuity in the IT sector. But being flexible doesn't always yield positive results. However, if expectations of availability are too high, if there are career disadvantages for having a flexible working schedule, or if the culture of an organisation promotes long hours, the benefits of EWP can be compromised. The paper therefore suggests that it is important for the organisations to implement structured gendered flexible policies with inclusive leadership, the implementation of performance-based evaluation and clear work-life boundaries.