Working from home appears to encourage employees to follow better ethics than if they are cooped up in the office everyday.

According to a recent survey by the Ethisphere Institute and Jones Lang LaSalle, 36 per cent of the 200 firms surveyed reported visible ethics violations with employees who do not work from home regularly, while 43 per cent reported non-visible violations, such as expense account fraud or bribery.

However, MarketWatch reported, the survey found that just 11 per cent of firms reported similar ethics violations among their employees who work from home.

Mark Ohringer, executive vice-president and global general counsel for Jones Lang LaSalle, told the news source: “You can see why someone working from wouldn't get embroiled in some of the things that lead to trouble.” He explained that there is less opportunity for offensive remarks or harassment when somebody is not in the office.

Meanwhile, Alex Brigham, executive director at the Ethisphere Institute, suggested that there is also the idea that working from home is a privilege that many employees are keen to keep a hold off. Mr Ohringer concurred, but added that there is also a sense of empowerment.

“Empowering people and treating them like professionals and adults leads to better behaviour,” he remarked. “If they feel like they're being treated well and trusted, that's the treatment they give back to the company.”