Despite solid evidence “spanning decades that flexible workers are actually more motivated, more loyal and more committed to their jobs,” Heejung Chung asks, “why do we think they are lazy, not committed, not motivated?”  

In this very insightful talk, she explores the biases that surround flexible work arguing that this is rooted in our work culture that believes a good work-life balance is antithetical to productivity. She further provides a rationale for framing this as a productivity issue to meet the challenges of the future of work.  

Watch Heejung Chung’s Big Ideas Talk on the Work and Family Researchers Network Video Channel to learn about the flexibility stigma—why we think remote workers are slackers and what that says about our work culture .

About Heejung Chung

Heejung Chung is Professor of Work and Employment at King’s College London. She is a comparative labour market researcher interested in the future of work, workers’ well-being, and gender equality. Her research aims to explore different issues of inequality and social justice around work and labour markets, and find policy solutions to tackle these problems. Her work has influenced policies at the international level – including the European Commission, ILO, UN and national levels – e.g. the UK, Korean, and German government. She is the author of the book The Flexibility Paradox: Why flexible working leads to (self-)exploitation (2022, Policy Press)