The number of UK bosses that offer teleworking to their staff has more than trebled in the last two years, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has claimed.

According to the latest CBI/Pertemps Employment Trends Survey, the figure has shot up to 46 per cent after languishing at 11 per cent in 2004 and 14 per cent in 2006. The poll quizzed 513 bosses employing a total of over one million staff.

The trend is being driven by a desire among staff to cut their carbon footprint and to avoid a troublesome commute, the CBI said. It added that bosses “understand that productivity need not suffer if staff are not in the office”.

Bosses have also improved their flexibility in other areas such as term-time working and job sharing, as well as career breaks and sabbaticals. The CBI claimed that flexible working has been a success, with the vast majority of respondents (93 per cent) offering at least one form of flexibility.

John Cridland, CBI deputy director-general, claimed the onslaught of remote working technology would accelerate the trend in coming years.

"Using teleworking to take work out of the workplace has become very popular, and is also a useful way to avoid a laborious commute, balance family commitments, and even reduce carbon emissions. As technology becomes more reliable and widely available, this trend can only grow."

However, the survey exposed UK bosses’ concern over the recent introduction of new employment regulations. Two-thirds agreed that “cumbersome employment regulation was endangering the labour market flexibility”, which the CBI argued has been crucial to business success in recent years.