Teleworking on the rise this Christmas

"No, you make the turkey sandwiches. I'm checking my email."

Thirty per cent more people will be working from home over the Christmas holiday period this year than last. A poll of over 300 medium and large UK companies by VPN operator Sirocom found festive teleworking is on the increase for several reasons. Broadband is becoming more common, workers now have better remote access than before to office applications beyond simple email and word processing, and internet connections are becoming secure enough for this type of work. Two and a half million people will be operating as a 'remote office' between 23 and 27 December, the research found. Earlier this week another survey found Christmas-related cyberloafing by staff will cost medium-sized UK companies over £150m.