Recent advice could see a rise in the number of IT contractors being hired to allow companies to have staff working from home.

Mark Lewis, senior Europe, the Middle East and Africa director of marketing and alliances at Riverbed, claimed that this practice requires the right infrastructure to be put in place before it is achievable.

He said: "Having the correct infrastructure in place for employees to access their business critical applications from home is the key to a successful remote working experience."

Key technologies that could require IT contractors' help to roll out include remote application access and file technologies, as well as using the knowledge necessary to get these working at speed.

Recent research from Lumison found that 73 per cent of employees believed they would be more productive when working from home, while 65 per cent reported working longer hours when they do.

Despite this, 37 per cent reported that they did not have the necessary technology in place to allow this.