More businesses employ flexible working

Date: 27th May 2009

A rising number of UK businesses are implementing home working practises, it has been discovered.

According to a study by the telecommunications provider Orange, about 63 per cent of all organisations now off some flexibility to their employees.

Up to three-quarters of the firms that take advantage of home-based working, which likely include a number of smaller limited companies, claimed it improved staff morale.

Paul Tollet, vice president of Business at Orange UK, commented: "It's great that over half the UK working population is able to take advantage of flexible working.

"But the fact that over 35 per cent of employers have yet to consider it is surprising, particularly when the benefits are well acknowledged."

The study also found that nearly half of employers which utilised flexible working provided staff with a laptop, while almost a quarter supplied a high-speed internet connection.

A report published by BT Business earlier this month showed that 88 per cent of staff members saw savings on costs as the biggest benefit of working from home.