From 6 April 2006 all parents of children aged 16 or under were given the right to request flexible working, but research from ntl:Telewest Business shows 69% of the UK's top businesses, including Marks and Spencer, Tesco, BP and Thomas Cook are offering staff more flexible options than legislation dictates.
Andrew McGrath, commercial director at ntl:Telewest Business, said: "The common perception of flexible working is still focused around public-sector and white-collar office-based jobs when, as this research shows, 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.
"Companies under financial pressure can find it difficult to keep their staff motivated and loyal especially if wages and bonuses are frozen, but taking action to help them strike a better work-life balance can help remedy this."
Two thirds of FTSE companies offer better flexible working options than legally required
More than two thirds of FTSE 100 companies had already extended the rights of parents to request flexible working before the Government made the extension of the right official in April.
