Only 0.12% of employment tribunals in 2010-11 involved employees alleging that their company had failed to observe flexible working regulations, according to figures obtained by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Of the 277 cases where flexible working figured among complaints, 83% were resolved before reaching a court of law, with only 10 cases resulting in a victory in court for the employee.

Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser at CIPD, says: “The reality is that businesses of all sizes are way ahead of the critics in the way they have responded to the legislation. 

“The implausible equation between flexible working and burdens on business seems to be born of a refusal to accept that we live in a developed 21st century economy that is heavily dependent on the skills and commitment of its workforce.”