Companies can cut their costs by introducing remote working policies, it has been suggested.
Michael Robertson, managing director of Commerce Media, said the ability to free up office space and reduce the money spent on heading into work are key advantages when it comes to working at a remote location.
In a column for Fresh Business Thnking, he added that research has shown that such policies boost the physical and mental health of staff, while also improving their productivity.
However, he warned that firms need to ensure they have suitable security provisions in place to guarantee such employees are protected from any threats.
Explaining why, he said: "Data transferred between a remote worker and a central IT hub is often of a highly sensitive nature."
According to IDC, nearly 1.2 billion people - around a third of the world's workforce - will have access to flexible working policies by 2013.