The growth of homeworking stalled during the recent recession, the TUC claims in a new analysis of official figures to mark National Work From Home Day today, which is organised by Work Wise UK.

TUC research shows that between 2005 and 2010, an extra 227,000 people said they mainly worked from home, bringing the total number of homeworkers to 3.7m by 2010.

But last year saw a small fall in the proportion of people working from home, from 12.9% to 12.8% of the workforce, with the total number of homeworkers increasing by just 10,000.

High unemployment and job insecurity during the recession is likely to have made staff more reluctant to ask to work from home, says the TUC.

However, working from home can save on office costs, ease transport congestion and help staff manage their workload more effectively, making it a more productive and cost-effective way to work, says the TUC.

Chief executive of Work Wise UK, Phil Flaxton, says: “Being able to work from home every now and again is a sensible move for individuals and their employers. The employee avoids the stressful daily commute and can concentrate on work without the usual office distractions.

“Smart employers know this already. Now it’s time for the rest to wake up to the benefits of smarter working. Workers stuck with old-fashioned, rigid patterns of working based on ‘presenteeism’ want access to flexi-time and homeworking.

“Employers who fail to move with the times are likely to find their ability to attract and retain the best staff becomes increasingly difficult.”