Secretaries operating in the UK ought to have the option of working from home when circumstances allow, according to a report from the office recruitment firm Tate.

Research by the company shows that personal assistants and receptionists are increasingly unable to work in London, with its high house prices and costs of living, and suggests that home-based working could help stop the "secretarial drain" in the city.

Allowing for flexible working and enabling staff to operate from outside the office when possible will give companies a better chance of recruiting the secretarial staff they want, the study from Tate concludes.

Managing director at Tate Julia Robertson commented: "This suggests we are at crisis point in London, as more and more high quality secretaries choose to work outside London in a bid to reduce cost of living.

"It’s clear that secretaries have done their sums and voted with their feet. The only way to attract and retain is to stop thinking cheap and start thinking quality."

Research commissioned by Citrix Online revealed recently that major corporations are taking the lead when it comes to implementing flexible working practices in the UK.