Small firms embrace home working

While some employers may be worried about staff working from home, a new survey from YouGov indicates that staff at small businesses are taking enthusiastically to the concept.

A survey of over 2,000 small business employees found that three quarters wanted to work flexible hours, and almost two thirds believe that the nine-to-five model is outdated.

Over half are already doing some work out of the office, often in the most unlikely of places.

More than a quarter of employees had worked while on holiday, and 16 per cent revealed that they sometimes work in bed. One in 10 said they worked while exercising, and 13 per cent claim to have worked while 'on the toilet'.

"The survey shows a clear trend towards a more flexible small business workforce," said John Coulthard, director of small business at Microsoft, which sponsored the survey.

"Employees are more flexible and will do what needs doing to get results, whether that be in the office, out of the office or at home.

"Small businesses need to reward hard work and give staff the most effective tools to let them do an even better job, wherever they may be working from."

Four out of 10 employees claimed that they are already required to work flexible hours, usually above and beyond the specified times, and 30 per cent said that they would take a pay cut if they could work more flexible hours. Of those, over a quarter would take a cut of five per cent.

The biggest barrier to flexible working was cited as lack of trust by employers, with 56 per cent finding this a problem. Over a third felt pressure from their employers to be 'seen to be seen' working long hours.