Managers of SMEs need to do more to ensure that they know how to deal with staff who work from home, a new survey has found.
The BT study, IT Skills for Flexible Working, reveals that 88 per cent of managers at SMEs have not received any formal training on how to handle home-based staff.
It also found that half of managers struggle to control the performance of remote workers.
Bill Murphy, BT managing director, said: "There is a worrying lack of both management and IT skills for 21st century flexible working, despite the growth in homeworking."
To succeed in future small firms must adopt and successfully utilise IT, he added.
Flexible working will also become more important as staff are increasingly looking for a firm which offers a good work-life balance, he concluded.
Last month, a study by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that flexible working also helps reduce the number of illness-related absences.
