Up to five million employees in the UK are set to work from home this Thursday (May 15th) in honour of National Work From Home Day, it has been suggested.

According to Work Wise UK, operating from home can enhance worker productivity and lead to an improved work-life balance.

Meanwhile, figures produced by the Trades Union Congress suggest that 600,000 more people in Britain work from home than was the case a decade ago, with the south-west having the highest proportion of remote staff at 15.7 per cent.

"Although many organisations practise the age-old philosophy of ‘presenteeism’ they should open their eyes to the new work ethic spreading across the UK and try out home working. They may well be surprised," stated Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK.

A non-profit organisation, Work Wise UK aims to make Britain a more progressive economy by encouraging the adoption of what it dubs "smarter working practices".