Leaders of business and industry no longer "believe in" the nine-to-five working day, preferring flexible hours, one expert has said.

Martin Lyne, director of SME marketing at T-Mobile, said that there has been a noticeable move towards flexible working in offices, with many workers now experiencing a lifestyle that contractors have enjoyed for years.

Research by the phone company found that half of business leaders said they no longer believe in the traditional working day, with over a third also disagreeing that Monday to Friday should constitute a working week.

"With small businesses often running a tight ship in terms of finances and expenditure, and in light of the past few years with plenty of change happening, it's considered hugely important to be flexible enough to scale up or down, according to the situation," he explained.

Meanwhile, Dr Shima Barakat of the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, has said that time should be spent focusing on how best to educate women in entrepreneurship.