Working from home is becoming increasingly popular among businesses and employees in China, according to reports.

Thousands of workers in some of China’s biggest cities are opting to enrol on flexible working schemes, often to avoid hours spent in traffic jams or spend more time with children, reports TechCentral.

Flexible working is enabling IBM’s Chinese operation to focus more effectively on the needs of individuals and to retain a greater degree of staff loyalty, one human resources expert from the company explained.

Shen Min, from the Horizon Research Consultancy Group, told the news provider: "Few figures are available from government or other researchers that could give us a comprehensive picture of just how many Chinese people are working from home.

"But as an emerging trend, it’s gaining enough momentum to make it difficult to ignore its impact."

A report recently from the Equal Opportunities Commission suggested the UK is currently lagging behind other parts of Europe when it comes to bringing in flexible working practices.