The Olympic Games increased morale in half of British organisations this summer, a new study has claimed.

Four in ten firms allowed staff to watch the sporting event in the office, according to a survey from the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).

Seven in ten managers said that their workplace had bonded over the joint viewing experience, while 37 per cent had felt more personally productive.

Of the 1,000 managers surveyed, two-thirds reported that the Olympics had been less disruptive than expected, and half indicated that there had been no impact on their organisation.

But despite much speculation in the lead up to London 2012 about the potential effect on businesses, 43 per cent of respondents said that their senior management team did not communicate with employees about expected working practices during the Olympics.

However, two in ten organisations did trial new systems, with working from home and altered start and finish times the most popular options.

The Games could result in a lasting legacy of flexible working, the research found, as 43 per cent of those companies confirmed that they were likely to continue with new working practices after the Olympics and Paralympics.

The figures also showed that three-quarters of the managers canvassed disagreed with London mayor Boris Johnson’s suggestion that home working was “a skiver’s paradise”.

Charles Elvin, chief executive of ILM, said: “It is encouraging to find that businesses took the opportunity to trial flexible working practices and those that did found it far from being ‘a skiver’s paradise’ – their people were productive and motivated.

“We hope that organisations continue to offer more flexible working which, when properly managed, is a powerful motivator and helps to attract and retain talent.”

Elvin added that the start of this week’s Paralympics provided another opportunity for businesses that had not already done so to experiment with flexible working.