It has been a year since new legislation made it easier to request and negotiate flexible working arrangements. Now, with a growing skills gap, firms are using flexible terms in order to attract the best candidates.

The Government has commissioned an independent review to investigate the challenges and opportunities facing those who want to work for themselves.

Our round-up of other small business stories making the headlines this week..

Work email is encroaching into the personal lives and downtime of employees more than ever, according to new research.

The self-employed labour market is expanding fast and, if growth rates continue, half the working population could be freelance within five years, according to new data.

April's much-anticipated Google mobile update has adversely affected some small businesses even though many of them had already optimised their websites for mobile, according to new research.

Acas has published a plan to lift the UK out of its current productivity slump. However, it comes as new research from Oxford Economics suggests UK productivity could be set to dramatically improve.

Our round-up of other small business stories making the headlines this week...

The UK has one of the world's most diverse start-up ecosystems, according to new research.

The number of small and medium-sized businesses in the UK is growing at the fastest rate since the financial crisis in 2008, according to new figures.