Sustainability in the workplace has become a welcome trend from large companies like Microsoft and Starbucks. But all companies can play a role in becoming environmentally friendly by increasing remote working programs.
Studies have found that flexible workspaces can help reduce greenhouse gases thanks to cutting employee commutes. Idling cars use around three billion gallons of gas, equating to 26 millions of greenhouse gases alone. If the 50% of U.S. employees who had remote-capable jobs worked remotely, greenhouse gases could be reduced by 54 million tons.
Simply offering workers the ability to work remotely a few times a week could help cut down emissions. A 10% reduction in office work hours results in a 15% decrease in a person’s carbon footprint.
Research indicates that desks are only occupied 50% to 60% of the time, leading to wasted energy for lighting, heating and air conditioning. Offering remote work options could eliminate the use of unnecessary energy.
As climate change continues to become a real global risk, the demand for sustainability increases. As a result, both consumers and employees are more willing to support products and services that have eco-friendly practices. Therefore, it is important for companies to get on board with environmentally conscious operations.
