More than 4.5 million people are set to benefit from the change in the law, which allows those with children under 16 years of age to engage in flexible working.

However a survey by BT shows 88 per cent of managers have never received training on how to cope with staff out of the office or the IT requirements they need.

In addition, 22 per cent of remote employees feel they lack support to allow them to work from home effectively.

Bill Murphy, BT business’s managing director, claims the apparatus is available to allow people to carry out their tasks outside of the office, but other factors could hamper its progression.

‘Information and communications technology has provided the means for millions of people to work remotely yet many businesses are hampered by outdated management techniques,’ he says.

Meanwhile, research commissioned by Aastra, the communications networking development firm, found people who commute to work in major cities could save up to 55 hours per year if they were given the means to do their jobs from home.

See also: How to create the best conditions for efficient home working