Want to work at home? No chance

Only eight per cent of employees are regular teleworkers but technology isn't to blame according to new research.

The majority of companies have the basic tools to allow for remote working, it's just that managers are reluctant to allow it.

Forty-five per cent of 1,500 small to medium-sized businesses polled by Brunel University insist on consistent supervision of staff, with only 11 per cent of respondents allowing employees to determine their own style of working.

Fintan Clear, a lecturer in ecommerce at the university, argues that the problem lies with managers failing to trust teleworkers will be as "productive offsite as they are in the office".

A survey by business communications provider Inter-Tel showed similar results. It indicated the low number of flexi workers in the UK is a result of managers believing staff are untrustworthy and unreliable.

A staggering 93 per cent of the 300 HR directors surveyed believe staff are more likely to bend the rules if they could work from home, though 47 per cent agree that flexi working leads to greater productivity.

All this, despite the fact it's difficult for managers to monitor what at-home workers are doing in the first place.

When the HR directors were asked how they would monitor the performance and productivity of flexi workers, 18 per cent said they had no idea.