Working from home – and the flexibility that can bring to an individual's lifestyle – can benefit both them and their business, an expert has claimed.

The head of good practice services at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), Gill Trevelyan, says that enabling employees to work in a manner that suits them, their lifestyle and their timeline, can assist them to better meet their customers' needs.

By being more flexible, employees can make the most of the working hours available as well as being happier and more productive as a result.

Ms Trevelyan said, "Providing flexible working can help to reduce absenteeism, increase employee engagement, improve efficiency and productivity and tackle the causes of stress."

Ms Trevelyan's pronouncements follow opinions made clear by Dr John Philpott of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, who said that staff members across the board should be entitled to request the right to work from home, or in a more flexible manner.

This, he argued, would help to boost the economy in the UK. Currently, only certain people are allowed to request flexible working, such as those employees who have children under the age of 16.