A bill containing plans for a national flexible working strategy has been presented to parliament in New Zealand and could soon see many thousands of people gain the right to work from home.

The flexible working arrangements bill is set to be debated by the national parliament and if made law would aim to help those New Zealanders who are currently deterred from working from home by fears that a request to do so would damage their career.

Sue Kedgley, the MP who drew up the flexible working plan, is hopeful that the bill could eventually lead to the kind of "change in the workplace culture" that has been seen in the UK in recent years, reports the Scoop.

"It is clear that flexible working practices are widely supported by New Zealanders and will benefit employers as well as employees," Ms Kedgley is quoted as saying.

"Just as clearly, New Zealand currently lags way behind other countries in offering flexible working arrangements to employees."

Meanwhile, research carried out recently by the Robert Half Technology firm showed that home-based working is becoming increasingly common among IT professionals in the US.