Most, or nearly nine in ten, employers in Scotland who offer flexible working say it has had a positive impact on their business, according to new research conducted by YouGov for Family Friendly Working Scotland.

The survey of 257 Scottish business leaders found that among the 200 who offer flexible working, 87% said it has had a positive impact on their business, while half (50%) said it has had a "very positive" impact on the business overall.

The employers reported benefits to the business including increased productivity among workers (37%) and better staff retention (40%).

Nearly a third, or 30%, reported fewer staff were off sick, while other benefits included increased profit (17%) and better employee mental health and wellbeing (40%).

Separate survey data from YouGov for Family Friendly Working Scotland showed that 53% of workers in Scotland work flexibly while a further fifth (19%) do not but would like to do so.

Nikki Slowey, co-director at Family Friendly Working Scotland, which is part of the UK work-life balance charity Working Families, commented, "Flexible working is good for business. The fact we're hearing this from business leaders themselves proves flexibility is not a favour to employees in special circumstances, it genuinely makes good business sense.”

"There's still a huge unmet demand for flexible working and the desire for flexibility is universal across gender, age, and whether or not someone is a parent,” Slowley said.

The survey of Scottish workers who work flexibly found they see a range of positive benefits.

More than two-thirds (69%) said flexible working has improved their work-life balance, and more than half (58%) said they are happier. More than half (52%) said they are more productive at work and 28% said they are off sick less, while 46% said they are more loyal to their employer.

Organisations in the UK are legally required to consider requests for flexible working from employees who have been employed for at least 26 weeks.