Allowing staff to work from home is an issue that divides opinion among SMEs, with many UK companies unable or unwilling to accommodate the practice.

Allowing staff to work from home is an issue that divides opinion among SMEs, with many UK companies unable or unwilling to accommodate the practice.

Around a quarter of SMEs currently allow all of their staff to work from home, according to a YouGov survey of over 600 senior decision makers in UK-based companies.

Of the companies that don’t permit home working, 85 per cent cite the need for staff to physically be on site, while 12 per cent simply don’t have the technology required to facilitate it.

Jonathan Grant, CEO at telephony software company NewVoiceMedia, which commissioned the survey, comments: ‘At a time when the technology is available and affordable to all SMEs I can’t believe that so many senior people don’t trust their teams enough to let them work from home, or cite technology as the sticking point.’

While 60 per cent of SMEs that allow home working state that it increases staff productivity, 11 per cent of those that don’t permit the practice believed that it would decrease productivity and 5 per cent say staff can’t be trusted to do a full day’s work at home.

The companies in favour of allowing staff to work from home also state that it motivates staff and allows for better relationships with employees.