Mynextsalesjob.com boss Rani Kaur believes that there is an untapped talent pool available to recruitment firms if they are prepared to offer staff the flexibility of home working.

Kaur, chief executive of the sales specialist firm, is looking to expand her UK network of 17 home-based consultants.

Employing home workers allows her to offset potential overheads and pay staff higher commissions, but it also provides her tele-workers with lifestyle flexibility, and this gives her firm a wider and richer palette of talent to choose from, who in turn show a real zest for the business.

She told Recruiter: "It's not uncommon for our commission-only staff to work 40-50 hours a week, but they can do a 9am-3pm stint or continue when the children have gone to bed. Some consultants find that candidates respond well to being contacted at the weekend.

"Our consultants are all skilled sales people who have decided to come away from the 9-5 routine; we have a UK call centre that sends on messages to our consultants. The system allows everyone to keep placements moving regardless of geography."

The working-at-home model fits a number of workforce diversity issues as well. Kaur says it suits workers who have to care for family or fathers who crave more time with their family.

The latest CBI/Pertemps survey (September 2007) shows that Kaur is riding the back of a growing trend. Of the survey's 1.1m staff, working from home or on the move is now offered by 46% of employers, four times as many as in 2004 (11%).