Research has claimed managers working at some of the biggest companies in the UK are increasingly offering their employees flexible working arrangements.

A new poll by ntl:Telewest Business found that 69 per cent of FTSE 100 firms have offered staff more freedom in terms of when they meet the demands expected of them in the workplace.

It was also found that some leading companies including Marks and Spencer, Tesco and BP actually offer more flexibility than government legislation calls for, while it was also found that such behaviour is not just restricted to office-based roles.

Andrew McGrath, commercial director at ntl:Telewest Business, said: "It's an issue affecting a far wider spread of businesses.

"Introducing home-working might not be a realistic possibility for a cruise line operator, for example, but there are numerous creative ways that companies can use technology to make working and home lives dovetail more neatly."

Nigel Hawthorn, vice-president of Europe, Middle East and Africa marketing at network specialist Blue Coat Systems, recently claimed workers often achieve more in terms of career development when given the chance to work from home.