No Kids, No Care, No Telework: Hiring Penalties When Requesting Telework

Objective This study explores how job applicant telework preferences interact with family caregiving responsibilities and gender to influence hiring decisions and employer perceptions in the post‐pandemic labor market. Background Traditionally, teleworkers faced employment penalties like lower salary growth and fewer promotion opportunities than in‐office employees. Despite widespread adoption of telework since the COVID‐19 pandemic, little is known about how employers evaluate telework requests from job applicants with varying family care responsibilities. Method In an original conjoint survey experiment, 2031 hiring decision makers in telework‐feasible positions evaluated hypothetical job applicants with randomly assigned attributes including telework preferences and family care responsibilities. Results Applicants requesting telework faced hiring penalties and negative perceptions of availability, commitment, and reliability. More frequent telework requests received greater hiring penalties. Telework requests were perceived more favorably for applicants with child or adult care responsibilities than those without care responsibilities, though caregivers to adults were penalized regardless of telework requests. Gender did not moderate these relationships. Conclusion Despite widespread adoption, employers continue to view telework less favorably than in‐office work. However, modest telework requests from employees with family care responsibilities, especially parents of young children, may be more acceptable to employers during the hiring process. Implications These findings highlight the persistence of stigma toward workplace flexibility in US workplaces, especially for those without clear family caregiving roles.