Businesses with flexible working arrangements allow their employees to have a healthy work-life balance, it has been claimed.

Debbie Bird, editor of parenting website babyworld.co.uk, said life is a "permanent juggling act" that can be tiring, but having a malleable working schedule takes away a lot of the strain.

She stated working from home gives her the "flexible approach" that she requires to meet the needs of her children, pick them up from school – and keep her career and brain "engaged".

The mother added it provides her offspring with a "world of opportunities", while allowing her to provide an income and "live a comfortable life".

More than two-thirds of women with dependent children are in employment in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Around 30 per cent of these women use flexible working patterns to balance their professional careers with the needs of their family and friends.