A new study has revealed that working from home could help firms retain staff.

The research, which was published by Regus, was carried out on more than 11,000 businesses across 13 countries.

It has shown that 16 per cent of workers have thought about resigning from their job as a consequence of their long commute to work. This figures increases to 33 per cent when the commute exceeds an hour. Statistics show that in the City of London, 20 per cent of workers travel more than 25 miles to get to work.

Sande Golgart, the west region vice president for Regus, explained that companies could improve their staff retention figures by introducing more flexible working practices, including work from home options. He pointed out: "While businesses can't control the traffic, they can control where and how efficiently their staff work."

'We're no longer tethered to a static office environment with alternatives from virtual offices to cost-effective, fully-equipped offices that are closer to an employee's home."

Mr Golgart also explained that creative working models could be crucial for companies to survive in the current "uncertain" post-recession environment.