Leader: Embrace teleworking

New stats from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on teleworking in the UK may sound promising. But take a closer look.

The ONS says that as of spring this year, 2.5 million people in the country were working at home with the aid of computers and telephones - more than double the figures from eight years ago.

However most teleworkers are self-employed, the ONS revealed, and only four per cent of employees are allowed to be teleworkers - despite evidence that IT workers in particular prefer to work from home.

This makes us think businesses have some way to go in providing the technologies and policies that enable a truly mobile and flexible workforce.

That 2.5 million figure doesn't include the occasional teleworker who has an office away from home but occasionally roams internet cafes and remote offices - the type of worker you'd bet exists at most organisations.

And there may be some good reasons for the resistance to teleworking within the IT department - it can be a major security headache, for one.

But it's the startlingly low four per cent figure that gives us pause.

The technologies are there to work from home or from anywhere, really - and (with the help of smart policies) to do so securely. Let's not be afraid to use them.