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There is a big gap between the perceptions of employees and of human resources departments of the importance of matters of work/life balance.

While only half of HR professionals think that work/life balance is important to their businesses, 89 per cent of staff regard opportunities for working from home and other flexible working arrangements as key considerations in deciding on a new job.

The figures are from a new survey by Monster.

Vice president of research Jesse Harriot said: "Employers should look to improve their employment brand by creating and promoting a flexible, balanced work atmosphere as an effective means of improving recruitment and retention."

75 per cent of staff believe that a proper regard for work/life balance issues raise morale and improve staff retention.

And yet, the survey found that only 49 per cent of the 500 HR professionals questioned thought that such arrangements had made any real difference in real life recruitment situations.

Nevertheless, 61 per cent believed that employers would have to provide more work/life balance opportunities to compete in the recruitment market in the future.