The phrase "I'm working from home today" strikes fear into more than half of the business managers in Scotland, according to new annual research from Mitel.

Some 54% of managers surveyed said they took the phrase to mean "I'm taking it easy today", and believed employees at home juggled their work and looked after their children at the same time.

However, employers need to move with the times and become aware of the benefits of home-working, the same survey notes. Nearly two- thirds of employees said they took a more flexible approach to work at home, which allowed them to work more productively and also longer.

The research reveals a division in attitudes between workers and employers when it comes to home- working.

Employee productivity expert, Dr David Lewis, said: "Managers must understand that every individual has a different style of working, so by allowing your staff to work how they feel best able to achieve results can only benefit their wellbeing and, most importantly, increase their productivity and ultimately customer service.

"It comes down to a matter of trust. If you trust and respect your employees to get the job done, they will trust and respect you in return and do the best they possibly can, regardless of whether they are in the office or not."

Nearly one in five employees in Scotland who were surveyed revealed they would like the opportunity to work from home two days a week.

Reducing overheads, improving customer satisfaction, increasing productivity and staff retention are the core business benefits that stem from teleworking, the Mitel survey notes.

However, firms are also starting to recognise that their environmental responsibilities can also be addressed, with teleworking helping to decrease the UK's ever-burgeoning congestion problems and cut carbon emissions.

While many employers are still labouring under the misconception that technologies to enable home-working are unreliable and slow, this is not the reality, the survey adds.