Almost half of all finance professionals are unhappy with their employer’s flexible working arrangements, according to new research.

Forty-one per cent of those surveyed by accounting and finance recruiter Badenoch & Clark said their employer wasn’t doing enough to address work-life balance in the workplace.

But it appears a lack of communication, rather than unwillingness on the part of employers, may lie at the heart of the problem as 81% of employers polled said they saw no downside to offering flexible working.

It seems there is also some disparity on the actual definition of flexible working: about a third of employers thought it meant reduced working hours, yet only 3% of employees were of the same opinion.

Nick Eaves, Director at Badenoch & Clark, said employers need to take action or risk losing staff.

‘Employers need to be aware that benefits schemes will not only improve job satisfaction and happiness for their people, but will directly affect the quality of their work,’ he explained.

‘If companies are to retain staff, then they need to find out what their employees want – it’s not rocket science, but it certainly doesn’t seem to be happening in accounting and finance right now.”