71% of UK companies discourage flexible working

In a YouGov survey of UK workers for Orange Business Services, 71 percent of respondents said that their companies either do not offer flexible working practices, or discourage flexible working even if it is available.

Over a third of the respondents (39 percent) said that their companies do not allow flexible working, while 32 percent said that while flexible working was offered, it was either impractical or was discouraged.

The survey also found that over 50 percent of the respondents would rather work outdoors, especially in the park, while 26 percent would like to work from a coffee shop and 25 percent from a library.

Most of the respondents who wanted to work outside were from the 18 to 34 age group - indicating a trend among younger people to demand more freedom in their working environment, in order to create a better work/life balance.