Melbourne: Employees seeking flexible work arrangements are more likely to receive managerial approval when their requests emphasise caring responsibilities or improved productivity, according to new research.

The study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, analysed decisions made by more than 300 participants with management experience. Researchers presented managers with realistic requests for flexible work and examined which factors influenced approval.

The findings showed that requests framed around childcare or enhanced productivity had a higher success rate than those citing personal wellbeing or autonomy over work hours. Managers were also more inclined to approve limited flexibility, such as two days of remote work, rather than more extensive arrangements.

Contrary to expectations, the study found no significant difference in approval rates between men and women, suggesting gender bias at the approval stage may be less pronounced than earlier research indicated.

However, the researchers noted that attitudes of individual managers play a crucial role and that flexible work decisions remain vulnerable to bias, highlighting the need for clearer and fairer workplace policies.