Managers find 'remote working' hard to handle

Almost three quarters (73%) of managers said flexible working was common in their organisation, while 37% claiming they looked after teams who worked either entirely or predominantly away from the office.

The 'Tomorrow's Leaders' study, commissioned by City & Guilds and the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), also showed that 44% managers felt "unprepared" for the supervision of remote teams and that only 25% had received training on how to manage in this way.

Although 75% believed remote workers were more productive, and 90% said they trusted employees who worked in this way, a third of managers confessed to wanting to monitor their staff more closely.

Chris Humphries, director general of City & Guilds, said: "A quiet revolution is taking place in offices across the UK. With the introduction of flexible working legislation, a growing awareness of the environmental impacts of travel, and a realisation among the business community of the cost benefits of flexible working, employment away from the office has never been so popular.

"However, as City & Guilds and ILM have demonstrated, managers are finding it less comfortable to lead and motivate flexible teams."

Visibly working

Mr Humphries added; "Our research shows that bosses are highly sympathetic to the notion of flexible working, but in practice find it difficult to break the mind set of presenteeism.

"The UK's professional culture is still built on long hours - if you're visible, you're accountable. In reality, this means we reward people who take a long time to get the job done, rather than those who do it most effectively."

As many as 42% of those questioned said their organisation did not have human resources policies to support flexible working. Also, 50% believed their employers were not exploiting networking technology to the full – with under 20% using audio conferencing and instant messaging, and only 10% using video conferencing.

A total of 200 managers were questioned as part of a two stage research programme carried out by Henley Management College.

'More productive'

Meanwhile, a separate study has shown that most workers in Britain actually remain "chained to office desks" despite a widespread feeling that working from home would make them more productive.

The survey, commissioned by ntl:Telewest Business, found that nearly half of employees believed they would feel healthier if they could avoid the "stress and exertion" of commuting.

The majority of employees said that home working made staff more productive, claiming that working in an office was "full of distractions". Working from home helped employees to feel "greener", the survey found.

Stephen Beynon, managing director of ntl:Telewest Business, said: "Commuting is a hassle for many people, especially for those who have commitments outside work and need flexibility.

"People can feel stressed by long commuting times. As this survey shows many people believe they can fit much more into their working day when it is done at home."