A sizeable proportion of UK firms are lacking the facilities to implement flexible working practices, a new report states.

A survey of 1,440 workers from Orange reveals that around 25 per cent of respondents do not have a formal agreement with their employers on how to arrange flexible working hours - despite the fact that around 50 per cent say that they work flexibly and two-thirds claiming to work non-standard hours.

The importance of flexible working was also highlighted by the report, with around half of respondents saying that it would be an important factor when it came to choosing their next job.

"There are major challenges for both employers and employees in dealing with flexible working," Robert Ainger, director of communications and operations at Orange Business Services, said.

"A key challenge is how notions of effectiveness are being redefined. Being the first or the last in the office can no longer be a measure of an employee’s commitment and productivity, and managing a flexible workforce will mean worrying less about how employees work and more about what they produce," he added.

Respondents listed saving travel and commuting-time as the most important component of flexible working.