But what about me? An exploration of who seeks and negotiates flexibility i‐deals

Abstract Our research undertakes two studies to address three questions: (1) who is likely to seek flexibility i‐deals; (2) who (among those who ask) is likely to have their request granted; and (3) what is the impact of a flexibility i‐deal on employee work–life balance and well‐being over time? Study 1 uses a large, diverse sample of Canadian employees ( n 1 = 22,815) to identify who seeks and who secures flexibility i‐deals. Study 2 examines how receiving an i‐deal moderates the relationship between role overload, role interference and stress over time ( n 2 = 449). We find that (1) requests for flexibility i‐deals were rare and grants rarer still; (2) antecedents of seeking i‐deals included gender, caregiving responsibilities, and resource constraints; (3) privileged employees were more likely to be granted an i‐deal, while unionized workers and caregivers were more likely to be denied; and (4) flexibility i‐deals had dual effects—strengthening the path from work‐role overload to work‐interferes‐with‐family (WIF) while buffering the path from WIF to perceived stress. Our findings expose hidden inequities in access, challenge assumptions that resources invariably yield positive outcomes and introduce the i‐Deals Access Matrix as a tool for advancing theory and guiding organizational practice.