FlexJobs Reports on Environmental Impact of Telecommuting Policies

Apr 18, 2016 — BOULDER, Colo.

     In recognition of Earth Day, FlexJobs highlights how telecommuting policies are both beneficial to a company’s bottom line as well as an important long-term strategy to protect the environment. Remote workforces contribute to environmentally sustainable workplaces by reducing congestion, lowering fuel consumption, minimizing construction, lessening pollution emissions, reducing the strain on transportation systems and improving air quality.

     "In the U.S., where commuters travel primarily by car, where access to public transportation is often limited and inconvenient, and where super commuting is on the rise, we need to do more to promote the environmental benefits of working from home,” says Sara Sutton Fell, founder and CEO of FlexJobs. “Remote work generates meaningful benefits, from lowering commute-related gas and oil consumption, pollution, and carbon emissions to reducing a company’s need for office space to overall energy savings and minimizing the need for work-related travel through remote collaboration tools like web and video conferencing.”

     The average U.S. worker commutes 18.8 miles to work and back and 86 percent of commuters commute by car (76.6 percent drive alone). Switching to full-time telecommuting would reduce each person’s work-related carbon footprint by 98 percent.According to Global Workplace Analytics, if workers in the U.S. who held telework-compatible jobs (50 percent) and wanted to (79 percent), worked from home just two days a week, the U.S. as a whole would:

     Xerox and Dell, two prime examples of companies that have embraced remote work, specifically illustrate how flexible work policies can positively impact the environment while also doing smart business.

     In early 2015, Dell embarked on a study of its employee base to develop a more granular understanding of employee commute patterns and the sustainability-related effects of its remote work initiatives. The average Dell U.S. employee, whether through a formal program or informal arrangement, works remotely 9.7 times per month and 

•      Avoided using 175 gallons of gas, at a savings of $339 per year 
•      Saw a reduction in their greenhouse gas footprint of a little over one metric ton of CO2e per year
•      Collectively through remote work Dell employees: 
•      Saved over $1,000,000 in fuel costs 
•      Avoided 136 million miles of travel 
•      Avoided over 35,000 metric tons of CO2e per year

     “Dell continues to see enormous environmental and social benefits from our work flexibility program, Connected Workplace,” said John Pflueger, Environmental Strategist at Dell. “Data from our U.S. worker study suggests that our team members are saving money and resources and appreciate the flexibility to work where, when and how they’re most productive. We’ll continue to explore the benefits of work flexibility and look forward to helping our customers do the same.”

     Xerox estimates that its growing remote workforce in 2015 avoided more than 43,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent to the energy used by nearly 4,000 homes annually. Approximately 8,600 U.S. employees form the Xerox Virtual Office program, up 600 employees from the previous year and comprising 11 percent of its U.S. domestic workforce. Remote employees at Xerox: 

•      Avoided driving an estimated 99 million miles
•      Saved 4.9 million gallons of fuel
•      The environmental savings are greater when Xerox considers that other employees from its global workforce of 140,000 work remotely an as-needed basis.

     “With a history of innovation, including the introduction of remote work as part of our culture nearly half a century ago, Xerox has continued in the forefront of environmental sustainability,” said Wendi Latko, Vice President of Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability at Xerox. “Our environmental strategy spans our entire business--from operations and offerings to how we engage with customers and employees--to make positive contributions to the communities in which we operate and to the world.”

Source: Xerox Corporation