Only 40 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are allowing staff to take flexible working opportunities including working from home, compared to 76 per cent of larger firms, new research has found.

Remote desktop access provider Citrix Online revealed that only 43 per cent of SMBs have technology in place to support home workers, with just one in five employers planning to introduce it in the next three years.

Simon Presswell, managing director of Citrix Online, warned that SMBs were slipping further behind large firms in offering staff a desired work-life balance, and would fail to recruit the best applicants as a result.

"Perhaps the most surprising finding of this research is that SMBs, who often have greater operational flexibility than their corporate competitors, are failing to seize the opportunity offered by flexible working," he said.

"Given the importance of flexible working practices in attracting and retaining the best talent, SMBs are in danger of missing out on the most skill professionals, many of whom are parents and are increasingly demanding work-life balance."

The research also showed that larger companies are four times more likely to operate job sharing schemes and are much more willing to offer employees adjustable start and finish times.