The opportunity for teleworking has been exaggerated and is not viable for most employees, according to the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Many reports artificially inflated the number of teleworkers in Britain by including ‘white van’ tradespeople and self-employed individuals who use a computer and telephone in their work, CIPD chief economist John Philpott said.

Only four per cent of staff were full-time teleworkers, according to the definition by the Office for National Statistics.

“The likelihood is that any major breakthrough on flexible working will for most people take the form of reduced hours, flexi-time or changes in shift patterns,” he said.