Employers for Carers member, O2, has launched what is believed to be the biggest flexible working pilot for UK staff in preparation for this summer’s Olympics.

The mobile company’s Slough HQ closed for a day, and the 3,000 employees based there – a quarter of its 12,000-strong workforce – worked remotely.

O2 said that the initiative would underpin its contingency plans to manage expected travel disruption and delays during the Games, due to the proximity of its Slough office to the Olympics rowing venue.

Up to a third of UK businesses are expected to encourage staff to work flexibly over London 2012, and Transport for London is hoping to reduce normal commuter journeys by one third.

The O2 pilot aims to “push the boundaries” of flexible working and highlight best practices to share with other organisations, the telecommunications firm added.

The reductions in electricity use, CO² emissions and travel time afforded by a more mobile workforce will all be evaluated during the 24-hour experiment.

O2 explained that it had already achieved a 53 per cent fall in its carbon footprint by consolidating its operations into a single campus, and that flexible working improved staff engagement and boosted productivity.

Ann Pickering, O2’s HR director said: “There are huge benefits to be gained in enabling your workforce to be mobile. Not only does it foster trust between organisations and employees, but allowing staff to shape their own working environment gives them back one of their most valuable resources – time.

“It also allows companies to overcome geographical boundaries and open new doors in terms of recruiting the best talent,” she continued. “So whether it’s a mum that needs to be at home for the school run or an employee that works remotely three days and travels to the office for two, with the right tools, implementing flexible working policies have the potential to transform the way we do business.”

Research conducted by O2 found that 47 per cent of UK employees cited flexible working as their most important employment benefit.

But while 39 per cent of businesses said that flexible working made their workforce more productive and 43 per cent believed it helped retain employees, the survey revealed that 77 per cent of organisations prevented staff from working flexibly across teams.