The work-at-home revolution has not happened yet, but is on its way, according to a survey of employers.

A survey of UK employers from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) finds that more than two thirds of employers (69 per cent) never or occasionally accept employee requests to work from home.

But working from home could cut down on traffic, and therefore carbon emissions – helping save the planet.

The survey found of the employers who offer home-working, only eight per cent believe home-workers are less productive than their office-bound colleagues, while 30 per cent say they are more productive.

The remainder of employers say home-working makes no difference to productivity.

A fifth of organisations (19 per cent) say that they are more likely to accept requests from managers or professionals.

However, a quarter of employers say that home-working will increase in their organisation in the next year – so although no home revolution yet, one may be on the way.

Gerwyn Davies, policy adviser at CIPD, said: “The allure of home-working for employees is becoming greater given the stress and rising costs associated with commuting.

“We also know that employees, particularly younger workers, are increasingly looking to work for organisations with strong green credentials – which can be enhanced by using home-working to discourage unnecessary travel.

“Employers and line managers should therefore have more confidence in their staff, policies and in their own management capability to ensure that they recruit, retain and make the best use of the talent they have.”

Home working requests are accepted more regularly in the public sector than the private sector, the survey found. Of all public sector organisations, 35 per cent frequently accept requests, compared to 21 per cent of private sector organisations.