Almost nine out of ten employees would ditch their daily commute into the office given the chance, it has been reported.
Research conducted by recruitment website staffbay.com found that 88 per cent would like to work from home if their employer gave them permission.
Of the 15,000 jobseekers interviewed, just seven per cent said they would not want to work from home at all.
Already there are around 3.8 million homeworkers in the UK – around 13 per cent of the UK workforce.
This figures has grown considerably over the last decade – in 2001 just 3.1 million people worked from home.
Advances in internet connectivity, the emergence of the cloud and the development of new mobile working technologies have all contributed to the change.
With employees able to access work-related files, documents and communications over a secure internet connection, many office workers can function effectively from any location.
Tony Wilmott, co-founder of staffbay.com, said there has been “a huge shift” towards employees’ wishes to work more flexibly.
“With nine out of ten saying they would prefer to work from home, the onus is now on employers to ensure that they afford this flexibility to their workers,” he stated.
“If they don’t then they may begin to look for employers that can accommodate their needs.”
Elliot Kidd, co-founder of staffbay.com, said the rise of mobile technologies and connectivity means that employees “no longer have to be chained to their desks for eight hours a day”.
“The way in which we work is changing, people have busier lives and one thing that is clear is, that when they’re looking for a new job, they’re also looking for employers who can offer them to opportunity of working from home,” he stated.
