Companies are still reluctant to let staff work from home, despite growing support for flexible working.

More than two-thirds of employers (69%) never or only occassionally grant requests for staff to work from home, according to a recent Labour Market Outlook survey from the Chartered Institute of Personel and Development (CIPD).

Despite the high level of refusals, only 8% of companies believe home-workers are less productive – 30% think staff actually work better from home and the remainder perceive no change in productivity.

Gerwyn Davies, policy adviser at the CIPD, said: “Employers should be more accommodating about accepting requests to work from home, rather than fostering a culture of presenteeism.

“The allure of home-working for employees is becoming greater given the stress and rising costs associated with commuting.

“We also know that employees, particularly younger workers, are increasingly looking to work for organisations with strong green credentials – which can be enhanced by using home-working to discourage unnecessary travel.

“Inflexible approaches to home-working risk restricting the competitiveness and growth of UK organisations.”

A recent Work Wise employment conference highlighted the cost savings, improved staff well-being and environmental benefits of working from home.