Though flexible working can help boost productivity and create innovation workers, new research finds.

One in four small and medium sized business use no technology at all to facilitate flexible working, yet flexible working can help boost productivity and create innovation for 52% of workers, new research finds.

Despite the benefits flexible working delivers in terms of creating innovation, productivity and fulfilling business objectives, the research from O2 suggests that too few small and medium sized businesses are using the technologies needed to make such practices a reality in their operations.  

Claire Darley, Head of Small Business Sales at O2: "By allowing employees to be smarter about the way that they work and giving them the tools they need, we believe that many small businesses can actually deliver on some of the key business objectives they are setting themselves. Our research finds that many of the services and technologies that small businesses need to work productively and on the move are simple and cost effective.  They far outweigh the benefits of the investment."

Key findings

· One in four small and medium sized business use no technology at all to facilitate flexible working

· 26% have a remote working solution in place

· Only one in five small businesses makes use of dongles to work remotely

· 54% have never considered wireless technology to connect to each other and remotely

· 22% have considered cloud services so people could work outside the office

Moreover, small businesses see flexible working primarily as an employee benefit and staff retention tool:

· Small business cite that their flexible working policy consists primarily of flexible hours (98%) and part time working (73%)

· 86% of small businesses believe that enabling their staff to work flexibly is a key driver to staff retention