"Flexible Working is Good for Business, says a Third of UK Small Companie"

London 15 May 2007: A third of businesses (32%) believe that the extension of the right to demand flexible working would benefit the bottom line, while only a fifth (22%) said that the policy would be bad for business.

UK small business has voiced overwhelming support for an extension of rights for flexible working. By a margin of four to one, respondents to the Orange Business Jury poll agree that all staff should be given rights to demand flexible working hours.

The Orange Business Jury, conducted by Ipsos MORI, polled 276 decision makers in Britain's small businesses and demonstrated that over half of respondents (54%) are currently not aware of existing flexible working policy.

Flexible working is one of the themes of National Work Wise Week which starts on 16 May and calls for widespread adoption of smarter working practices.

“It is encouraging to see initiatives like Work Wise Week promoting better ways of working.” said Neil Laidler, Head of Orange Business Services in the UK. “Through the Orange Business Jury, we have a unique window on what the UK's smaller companies are thinking on issues like flexible working. The results of this poll show that small businesses share the same view as Orange; that flexible working is good for business.”

Of all the technologies that can help small businesses adopt flexible working, nearly half (47 per cent) identify having broadband at home with 12% considering Wi-Fi hotspots most likely to help.

As part of an on going programme of research into the changing nature of our working lives, the Orange Future Enterprise Coalition (OFEc) is launching a report into the future of flexible working on Thursday 26 June 2007. To find out more about this launch go to http://www.orangecoalition.com or call the number below.