How Working From Home has Impacted the Environment and Why you Should Continue It

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in lockdowns across the world. Most businesses implemented work from home to protect their employees from the pandemic, but now that COVID-19 restrictions are experiencing a major lift, many businesses are facing the question of whether to bring employees back into the workplace full time.

Remote working not only ensured business continuity but also kept the economy going. Another plus, that not many people expected, was that it reduced some of the burdens on the environment. In the simplest way, less commuting meant less pollution.

Many businesses are now looking closely at their carbon footprint, and working from home is looking like a great way to reduce carbon emissions.

This article will explore the impact of working from home on the environment and help businesses decide what working conditions are right for them. We'll also throw light on how with cloud communications you'll be able to accommodate remote workers with ease.

Effects of remote working on the environment

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 28.2% of greenhouse gas emissions came from the transportation sector in 2018, a rise of 3.7% since 1990. This is primarily caused by commuters either putting more cars on the roads or using public transportation.

According to Finder, the full impact of the lockdown is still unknown in the UK, but when we look at the data for China, the benefits are clear!

In China, CO2 emissions dropped by at least 25% in February 2020. With the number of 'good quality air days' increasing by 22% in February 2020.

This is a massive decrease in emissions in just a few months of being in lockdown. With more remote workers and less travel via car and public transport, the drop was at least a quarter of the previous months-which shows the effects of remote working on the environment.

Another effect of working from home is a significant decrease in the use of plastics, making the world more sustainable. Remote workers usually eat meals from their own dishes at home and not rely on plastic cutlery or disposable containers as they do when working on the go. They aren't grabbing a bottle of water on their commute, and so there is much less in the way of waste. All in all, workers live more sustainably than they would in an office environment where they can't control all these factors.

1. Working digitally saves resources

Working remotely means day-to-day work is done digitally.

This, in turn, means less paper is used and wasted in offices. How many times have you been handed a printed document in the office when it could have been stored online? Most employees would have experienced this, printing and using paper where they could use the Cloud to share important documents.

According to Virtual Vocations, the average person in the USA uses the equivalent of seven trees worth of paper goods each year. This is a staggering amount of paper, with only about two-thirds of this paper being recycled.

By digitising documents for a remote workforce, this waste is no longer generated and is just another way in which remote working impacts the environment-saving trees and reducing Co2!

2. Reduce emissions from office buildings

Corporate offices generally use and waste a lot of energy. From lighting, heating, air conditioning to the coffee machine-a large amount of energy is used each day just to keep an office functioning.

Businesses can take steps to reduce their carbon footprints, such as motion sensor lights, solar energy, and more but nothing can have a more dramatic effect than remote workers.

Even with some employees working from home, you'll use less electricity and everyone can reduce their carbon emissions.

It also costs much less to run the office building when some employees are working from home and reducing the business' employee overheads.

3. Energy consumption

Energy consumption is a major factor that impacts the environment, lots of energy is wasted in office buildings, with workers less likely to be mindful of their usage while at work (they aren't going to be paying the bill!).

While working from home, workers are much more likely to be mindful of their energy consumption. In an office, you might not think twice about leaving a light on or leaving your computer switched on all night-but at home when you are paying for the electricity, this might become more of a concern.

Remote workers are likely to use less energy, which has a positive impact on the environment as a whole. During the summer months, working from home saved money on heating and air conditioning-however, in winter, fuel costs and consumption increased significantly, as it costs more to heat employee's individual homes than one office building.

Employees using green technology saved much more money and energy than their traditional counterparts.

4. Green technology

Green technology is becoming much more popular now people are remotely working. This technology includes solar panels, wind technology and more. While working from home, people have seen an increase in their utility costs, and so many are looking at the source of their energy to see whether they can save money.

Particularly if working from home is here to stay, it will become more important than ever to keep costs low. Alongside costs, many have seen the benefits to the environment mentioned above and have become more conscious of their part in keeping the environment healthy and clean for generations to come.

This awareness of our impact on the environment has prompted many to turn to renewable energy sources, such as Iceland, which powers many homes and businesses with geothermal energy, meaning their energy is much more sustainable and better for the environment.

Green technology is here to stay, and although it might not be as prevalent at the moment, it is certain to grow in popularity looking at the most recent trends in renewable energy.

5. Cloud technology and the environment

Cloud technology can have a dramatic impact on the carbon emissions of a business. With cloud technology, there is no need for paper files-you can fully digitise your important documents and save them within your phone system.

This means any employee can access what they need from wherever they are, and they don't need to be anywhere near the office building to do so!

Cloud communication systems have a range of features that can eliminate the need for commuting to an office building. With instant messaging and video conferencing features as standard, it is easy to connect with colleagues worldwide and have productive meetings from the comfort of your own home.

With meetings and collaboration being this easy with a hosted phone system, it's no wonder many businesses rely on this technology to keep their business running through remote workers.

When you use cloud phone systems all you need is an internet connection, meaning you immediately save energy from your running costs. Even more so, when employees are working from home.

Work from home and help the environment

Working from home has helped improve the environment in many ways and will continue to do so as long as businesses back remote workers.

With a cloud communication system, it is easy to manage remote workers and work collaboratively with the whole team, no matter where they are. This means that cloud communication systems don't just benefit the environment, but your business' overheads too!