This is according to a recent article from Personnel Today. Writing for the website, Katie Richards states that one must consider the following: how a standard employment contract should be amended to encompass homeworking; issues relating to health and safety; and what can be done if a homeworking request is refused.

More than four million people in the UK work from home some or all of the time, the Office for National Statistics has said. Enabled by technological advances, it provides people the chance to improve their work-life balance, while also helping parents with young children maintain their careers.

In offering advice to people working from home, as well as employers wishing to enable their workforce to homework, Ms Richards says that there are several useful considerations. The first of these is to actually ensure that someone who is working from home still has the option of working in the company's offices – whether this is for meetings or on an ad hoc basis.

She also states: "An employer must agree with the employee what hours he or she will be available for work and to what extent those hours can be flexible. Both parties should be aware of the stipulations contained in the Working Time Regulations 1998 with regard to hours and breaks."

Expenses should also be discussed, the article explains. Travel costs, heating and telephone contracts are among things that an employer could contribute towards. Likewise a homeworker will require equipment if they are to work remotely – they can speak to their employers about helping cover these costs.

This is the view of CV-Library, which states that more ought to be done to allow and encourage workers to do their jobs from their homes. At present, just 6.9 million of the UK's 38 million workers work from home, and this is despite the rise in flexible and remote working tools.

However, if they were allowed to work from home, both the employee and the employer could stand to benefit; according to a survey by CV-Library, 84.3 per cent of home workers believe they are either as productive or more productive than their office-based colleagues. Furthermore, more than three quarters (77.4 per cent) of all workers believe that working from home has a positive impact on productivity within the business.

For the employees, working from home also presents them with the opportunity to avoid the stresses and strains of commuting to an office. Indeed, nearly 90 per cent of home workers said they find it easier to find a good work-life balance even though 65.8 per cent said they actually work longer hours when at home.

Lee Biggins, CV-Library's founder and managing director, commented on the findings: “Despite the increasing number of hours that British staff are working, productivity rates remain low in the UK, indicating that our approach to business and the working day needs to shift.

"Whilst home-working isn't suitable for all businesses, it can provide clear benefits to companies and employees alike. As long as employers manage their employees effectively and monitor productivity levels, it should be easy to determine which environment works best for staff, and ultimately, the company’s output.”

Revealed last week, the home-working initiative will come into action as the local paper’s offices close in May. Trinity Mirror – a British newspaper and magazine published with 240 regional papers and five national papers to its name – has said it will be a good opportunity to remove “costly infrastructure” while investing “in journalism not bricks and mortar”.

The full-time staff of the north-west newspaper, which has been running since 1874, will be using existing technology to complete their usual tasks but in a more agile and mobile way. The Crewe Chronicle said: “This is a pilot to evaluate how working differently, and utilising available technology can enable us to control costs without reducing the number of journalists we employ.

“We’re harnessing the benefits of mobile technology to allow reporters to work in local markets and remove costly infrastructure. We want to invest in journalism not bricks and mortar.”

The news is indicative of two major trends in the journalism industry. Firstly, as print and online publications struggle with tighter budgets and falling revenue, having staff work from home is now an increasingly common means of alleviating the strain on the employer of supplying the necessary tools, infrastructure and physical space for workers to complete their job.

Secondly, the ability to use new technology – namely mobile devices connected to the company's applications and CMS via the cloud – enables journalists to conduct their work from the locations they are covering, rather than in an office many miles away.

Figures from the TUC suggest that there has been a 13 per cent rise in homeworking over the past five years as businesses and individuals embrace the opportunities presented by flexible working. Indeed, around four million people now work from home for at least part of their working week.

Property companies are now taking this trend into account with their layout and designs. For example, Linden Homes, a company currently building residential property in Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, is prioritising the inclusion of home office space in its homes,

Chris Roads, the sales director with the firm, commented: “With extremely busy lives juggling work, home, care and family – being able to enjoy the flexibility that having an office from home can offer is hugely attractive to many of our customers.

“This can range from someone who is based at home for the majority of their working week, or those who simply need a temporary and more convenient base away from the office – for commuting or caring commitments.”

Estimates from government figures suggest that there are a further 4.5 million people who would like to have the opportunity to work from home but aren't currently doing so.

A recent article in the Huffington Post noted that working from home can significantly reduce the strain on the country's infrastructure.

The transport system, for example, is hugely costly to maintain and in many cities – London in particular – current infrastructure is struggling to support the growing numbers of commuters. Traffic congestion is equally problematic when you consider the country's targets of cutting CO2 emissions.

The article noted: "Your rush hour drive could no longer be plagued by the uncertainty of traffic, relieving the accompanying stress. For us Londoners – imagine how much more pleasant the underground would be with fewer people and without the awkward moment when you give up your seat to someone you mistakenly identify as pregnant.

"Also, let's not forget the savings you'd make by not driving or paying for public transport, and more importantly the extra hour in bed when it's your turn."

With more and more studies highlighting the increased levels of satisfaction and employee productivity when people are allowed to work from home on occasion, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the positives that could come from encouraging the trend.

The Home Working Fund was launched in 2009 and received around £800,000 in funding from One North East and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills. So far the scheme has created 285 new jobs in the area by offering companies up to £3,000 towards the provision of training and equipment of homeworkers.

ID Training and ID Support, a North East business that provides training and care services in the area, has around 15 homeworkers out of its staff of 180.

The company's director Gordon Quince told local paper The Journal that allowing people to work from home has been beneficial to employees and the business itself: “For us, it has increased staff morale and productivity. For the employees, it has allowed them to manage their work/life balance, especially employees with younger children, and enables them to work in a quieter environment.”

Allowing employees to work from home at least on occasion has been recognised as an effective means of lowering sick days and increasingly productivity.

In the three months to February, there were just 2.062 million women at home, according to the Office for National Statistics. The latest figures for the three months to March showed that there were 2.063 million in this position.

It is thought that pressure from the recession has pushed more women into looking for work who would otherwise be at home with their children.

However, working from home might offer a helpful alternative to mothers who are keen not to leave their children. A lot of jobs can be done from home, allowing them time to keep an eye on their children and work around their family commitments.

John Philpott, an economist at the Jobs Economist, spoke to the Telegraph about the findings. He suggested that men are being “hit hardest” by the change in the economy: “Men and people on temporary contracts or working as self-employed contractors are being hit hardest by this latest bout of weakness in the job market, suggesting that employers are primarily making adjustments to the flexible component of the workforce in the face economic uncertainty.”

This decrease in employment among men could explain why more women are looking for work to support their families.

Conducted by Randstad, the study found that the number of Brits who work during their commute has increased from 4.8 per cent in 2008 to 7.5 per cent this year. It appears that advancements in technology are allowing more people to work on the go in 2013, with 18 per dent of workers stating that the development of tablets and smartphones makes it easier to work while travelling.

However, this has also meant that there is more expectation on some people, with one in ten stating that the availability of the technology has increased the pressure on them to work during their commute.

Mark Bull, UK chief executive of Randstad, commented: “In a tough economic environment, employees are under pressure to demonstrate their value to their employer and committed high-flyers are out to impress. This is manifesting itself as more employees working outside normal hours while they’re commuting.”

Working from home one or two days a week could be a good way for employees to get back an hour or two of time they would otherwise spend commuting and put this to better use working at a desk or simply relaxing.

Most of the positions are focused around technology, perhaps unsurprisingly given a homeworker's reliance on computers.

Graphic designers can earn huge amounts on a freelancer basis. At the top end of the scale, salaries can be up above £50,000, but the median annual wage in the US is around $44,150 (£28,200). Most designers need to hold a bachelor's degree in the skill or a similar field, although many people manage to break in by building up suitable experience for themselves.

Computer programmers also receive healthy levels of pay, with the Department of Labor data seen by Yahoo! putting the media salary at around $42,850.

However, if computing isn't of interest, there are plenty of other work from home jobs that pay well available. Accountants can pick and choose who they want to work for once they've established themselves, while public relations professionals and writers also do well for themselves without having to drag themselves to an office everyday.

Speaking during a keynote speech at the Great Place to Work conference, Ms Mayer reportedly hinted that the decision could actually have weakened productivity. CNN reported her as saying: “People are more productive when they're alone.”

However, she added that people are “more collaborative and innovative when they're together. Some of the best ideas come from pulling two different ideas together.”

The original company memo read: “Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home.”

Only a minority of the company's employees were affected by the change to its work from home policy, which means that people are now required to come into the office on a daily basis.

Businesses are divided on whether or not to allow workers the option to work from home. However, the general consensus is that at least allowing people the option to work from home on an intermittent basis helps to boost morale.