Research suggests that working from home makes people more productive and offers them a better work life balance and a more positive outlook in general. But it needs to be carefully balanced with the requirements of other employees and a business in general.

A recent advice column in The Guardian saw an individual working in a higher education academic department note some resentment towards a manager who works from home two or three days a week.

The homeworker is “usually available by mobile phone, Skype or email” but she tends to divert her landline to the office, leaving additional enquiries for her colleagues to field.

The person seeking advice noted that the manager is a “very nice person and is pretty flexible” but the rest of the team are all on lower pay grades and very rarely get to work from home themselves, which is leading to some resentment.

It seems that everyone wants to enjoy the perks of working from home. Essentially, many offices that allow one person to work on a flexible basis tend to allow others similar terms and conditions if they just step up and make the request. But if this isn’t the case then managers and those who do enjoy such perks need to be careful that they aren’t causing extra work for their colleagues.