Workers give up pay to work from home

But while flexible working hours topped wish lists, most full-time Aussie employees don't have the resources to set up a home office.

Independent research commissioned by Citrix Online found 16 per cent of Australian workers and 17 per cent of small business owners would give up 5 per cent of their salary to work from home one to two days a week.

The main reason was "setting my own hours or schedule".

The Worldwide Workplace: The Web Commuting Imperative report also found mobile phones were the tool of choice for home workers Down Under, while US and UK counterparts preferred email and the internet.

Report spokesman Bevis England said a lack of understanding and commitment from employers and governments made it hard to work from home.

"There are multi-faceted benefits from working remotely from reduced traffic congestion and emissions to a better work/life balance and a happier workforce," Mr England said.

He said home offices could also help rural development.

Meanwhile, separate research released today showed one in two Aussie workers were regularly turning up to work sick because they feared being labelled a "slacker" or losing their jobs.

In another sign of the economic downturn, two-thirds of 404 Aussie workers surveyed by recruitment firm Robert Half admitted to spending up to two hours checking work emails outside office hours.