The Benefits of Working From Home For The Environment & More

During this global pandemic there are probably quite a few people wondering whether working from home could be a more permanent thing. There are many benefits to working from home; for the environment, for personal health and well-being, and financially. That’s not to say that working from home is suitable for everyone who even does the sort of work that could be done from home, but it’s certainly worth looking into all the potential benefits.

I’ve worked from home for the last 8 years, and although my experience won’t be the same for everyone, I can at least provide some personal examples. My day normally goes something like this; Wake up at 5am (not by choice, by cat!) and work from 5.30am until 9.30am. I then potter about the house or go grocery shopping for a couple of hours. After working for another 2 hours from 11.30am until around 1.30pm I take a break for lunch. I might do some more chores for an hour and work again at 3pm and finish by 5pm. If I’m really into the work I’m doing I might do extra hours in the evening. I live alone, apart from my cats, so this doesn’t take away from any family time.

By taking plenty of breaks I’m much more productive in the time slots I’m working and my work / life balance is much better. I also don’t have to spend any time commuting to work, so I can either use that time to get more work done or to enjoy my personal time.

Benefits of Working From Home For The Environment

“Global Workforce Analytics, estimates that working from home half the week can reduce emissions by 54 million tons every year. “

Reduction in Carbon Emissions

With fewer people commuting, there would necessarily be a reduction in carbon emissions.

Reduced Fuel Usage

Again, if people aren’t driving to work then there is less need for petrol / diesel. If demand declines then the price should go down too and maybe more of it would stay in the ground.

Less Air Pollution

Less cars = less air pollution. This would make a huge difference to people living in large cities like London and New York.

Reduction in Energy Use

Offices use a lot of energy, for heating / cooling and running all the office equipment. It could be argued that this would be balanced out by increased energy use at home. Although there would necessarily be increased usage at home, people are far more likely to switch things off at home when they’re not in use when they’re having to pay the bills themselves. Overall I think energy use will decrease.

Less Office Waste

Again it could be argued that the same amount of waste would be produced in the home, but I counter that argument with the same point as above. If you’re having to replace printer paper yourself (even if you do charge your employer) you’re going to be far more aware of the amount of waste being produced. It’s easy to keep grabbing paper from the office supplies cupboard, but when you have to order / replace paper at home, you’re going to digitally save your work rather than print it.

Less Food Packaging Waste

By not buying takeaway lunches because you can make your own food, the amount of food packaging waste each person produces will be dramatically reduced. This goes for disposable coffee cups as well.

“The transportation sector generates more emissions in the US than the industry, electricity, commercial, and agricultural sectors, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

With so many emissions wrapped up in the daily work commute, telecommuting and remote work could serve as powerful tools to help reduce emissions and traffic.”

The benefits of working from home for the environment include less pollution from commuting

Benefits of Working From Home For Personal Health & Well-Being

“Alessandra Ceresa, Marketing Director of Greenrope, finds he can balance his work and life much easier when he works remote, “Because much of what we do is not constrained within the hours of 9-5, I am able to go to the gym in the middle of the day, take a walk, do errands. When I take these sorts of breaks, the moment I sit back down to work, I am focused. My life is balanced because I get all of my work done and have time to actually live my life.””

Less Stressful Working Environment

For most people their home is a much less stressful environment than an office. Again this won’t be the case for everyone, especially if you have 6 dogs, 4 cats and 3 children under 5 at home with you!

No Commuting

The commute to work can be an awful start and end to the working day. It costs money, takes time and depending on how crowded the public transport or roads are, can be really stressful as well.

Healthier Diet

It’s much easier to eat healthier if you work from home. You’re much less likely to walk to the local shop or cafe to grab some lunch.

Spending More Time With Family

Due to less commuting time, home-workers can spend more quality time with their family. This reduces stress levels.

“A 2011 study from Staples found that employees who worked from home experienced 25 percent less stress. Employees also reported that they were able to maintain a better work-life balance, as well as eat healthier.”

benefits of working from home for employers — Working in an office can mean more interruptions and distractions

Benefits of Working From Home Financially

For Employees

There are quite a few ways that working from home can end up saving employees money. There are a few additional costs to take into account, but I think overall most people would find working from home leaves them with a bit of extra cash each month.

Saving Money on Fuel Costs / Commuting

For some people, the commute to work can be quite costly by the end of the year, whether that’s paying for petrol or bus or train tickets. The savings really do add up.

Save Money on Office Lunches / Coffees

If you’re at home, you’re far more likely to make your own sandwich than to buy a pre-packaged one from the shop. This will always be cheaper.

Save Money on After Work Drinks 🙂

This one might not apply to everyone, but Friday night after work drinks are less likely to happen. Although it’s good to socialise with your colleagues (it helps to build team spirit), at some workplaces it can become a bit too easy to go for a drink every night straight after work, and a round of drinks can be expensive.

For Employers

“A study was conducted over 10 months at CTrip.com, a billion-dollar NASDAQ-listed company based in Shanghai. (The study) compared the productivity of call-center workers who worked from home four days a week with workers performing the same work from rows of office cubicles.

CTrip’s home workers were more productive. An analysis showed they answered more calls and worked more hours because they took shorter breaks and used less sick leave. The home workers also reported being happier than the office workers, and fewer of them quit. (…) In this case, the average home worker saved the company about $2,000, nearly as much as his or her annual salary.”

Save Money on Office Space

If your staff work from home, you don’t need as much office space which could save some companies huge amounts of cash.

Save Money on Office Supplies

As mentioned earlier, if your staff work from home, they use less office supplies or provide their own. This can even include computers and printers as well as pens and paper.

Save Money on Heating / Energy Use

If you don’t have a large office, you don’t have to pay to keep it warm or cool or to keep the lights on!

Save Money on Employee Absences

Staff are less likely to call in sick when they work from home. If you have a cold the responsible thing to do is to stay at home so you don’t pass it onto everyone in the office. Having a cold doesn’t mean you’re incapable of working, so if you’re a home-worker you can carry on working. You can also work from home with a hangover, one of the many reasons people are normally absent from work!

Staff are More Productive

Overall I believe that the majority of people can be more productive working from home. However this won’t always be the case and it depends on the type of work being carried out and individuals. Personally I find I’m much more productive in my home environment than in an office. There are far too many distractions in an office; people who want to gossip, people coming and going, phones ringing, unnecessary meetings etc. On the flip side some people find there are far more distractions at home, like the TV, pets, children etc.

“Simon Slade, CEO and co-founder of Affilorama has experienced first hand the benefits of having remote workers at his company, “By allowing employees to work remotely,” he says, “you can hire the best of the best while not limiting yourself by geographical restrictions. At Doubledot Media, 19 of our 28 employees work remotely, and I have seen no difference in job satisfaction or work performance. If anything, my remote employees’ production rate is higher because they are better equipped to avoid distractions.” The benefits also extend to his bottom line, “telecommuting saves me money because they pay for their own computer, electricity and other utilities.””

Won’t Working From Home Destroy City Centres?

Update August 2020 – Now that we’re several months into the pandemic, and supposedly only 17% of office workers have returned to working in an office, there is a slew of newspaper articles about how working from home will destroy city centres and the businesses, like restaurants, bars and gyms, that are found there.

“Coronavirus: Biggest cities deserted as only 17% of staff return to the office” – The Times 27th August 2020.
“Warnings of ‘ghost towns’ if staff do not return to the office” – BBC News 27th August 2020.
“‘We MUST rescue ghost town Britain’” – Daily Mail 27th August 2020.
“One Person’s Working From Home is Another’s P45” – Daily Mail 28th August 2020.
“Go Back To Work Or Risk Losing Your Job!” – The Telegraph 28th August 2020.

But why all of these articles all of a sudden? Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, head of the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) said “City centres could become “ghost towns” if the prime minister does not do more to encourage workers to go back to the office”. She acknowledges that “allowing staff to work from home had helped keep firms afloat during the pandemic. But as offices stood empty, thousands of local businesses that relied on the passing trade were suffering”.

I don’t particularly agree that this will harm communities as she states here; “The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities.”

Is she right or wrong?

It would be disingenuous of me to say that businesses located in town centres have not been affected by the reduction in foot traffic. It’s an obvious consequence of less (fewer?) people being in town centres. However I believe it’s also partly to do with people not feeling comfortable being in confined spaces during a pandemic.

What she doesn’t seem to be taking into account is that some local businesses have been doing better trade than usual. My local shop has never been so busy. More people are in the village and prefer to walk to the local shop rather than drive to a supermarket. I also work part time in a local cafe. Normally only holidaymakers visit it, as it’s located on a campsite, but this year it’s done a roaring trade with locals.

She’s also not really considering the fact that some businesses have adapted to this new way of life and have been successful.

Adapting

“Some businesses catering to office workers have stayed afloat by adapting the way they operate. Rich Bool, who works for the mobile coffee franchise Cafe2U in Chippenham told the BBC’s Wake Up To Money that when offices closed he had to find new ways of approaching his customers.

“Some of that has been actually going to residential streets, where our normal clients … are at home, working, and asked me to call and deliver to them”.

According to Mr Bool, this attracted curious neighbours, who were also working at home and needed a break from the laptop. “We almost created the new water cooler moment on the pavement,” he said.”

“Independent shops enjoy business boost due to commuting drop” – The Guardian 30th August 2020

“Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA), said members in suburban areas and towns had reported positive sales throughout lockdown and beyond as they pick up business that would usually go to those working in the city centre.

He said: “You won’t find us on this call to get people back to the office for many reasons. I think that horse has bolted, and I understand why people are calling for it but people will come back on a more flexible approach … City centres now have to think, with fewer people commuting, what do we do to bring people back in?”

“I feel sorry for city centres and larger towns struggling with it … but that tends not to be where independent traders find themselves as the rents are higher,””

I will always prefer to support independent shops rather than larger chains, as the money is more likely to stay within the local community, and the UK. Honestly, I see only positives about smaller local retailers doing better business since lockdown began.

Can City Centres be ‘Saved’?

Dame Carolyn Fairbairn appears to think that the only way to prevent city centres from becoming ghost towns is to ensure all office workers return to work. Wouldn’t a far better solution be to convert massive office buildings into accommodation? We have a shortage of housing in the UK so what better way to make use of ‘dead’ space? By moving people into city centres into affordable accommodation you suddenly have the foot traffic again. Local businesses can take advantage of the new residents, and communities, that would appear. This is advantageous to those needing homes, to local businesses and to the environment as fewer people need to be on the roads to travel to work. Those who will now be living in the city centres, which rarely have a lot of accommodation options, can now walk to work.

A cynic might think that encouraging people to go back to work in city centres and to commute there every day is just to ensure that those who own the office space and rent it out at extortionate prices are protected… Because although some businesses will suffer in the short term, in the longer term there are only advantages to converting city centres into living spaces again.

It seems a few people agree with me…

Do the Benefits of Working From Home Outweigh the Negatives?

For the companies that can give their employees the option to work from home the benefits really do seem to outweigh any negatives. There will always be exceptions… Some employees might find their outgoings slightly increase, but they might accept that if they have a better work life balance.

There are employees that need the pressure of an office manager breathing down their neck to be productive, but for those of us that can choose our own working hours, productivity levels can increase quite dramatically. I used to find myself just checking my emails or reading the news when I wasn’t feeling completely motivated. These days I can take a break and do something else, like washing up, going grocery shopping etc, then when I return to working I’m feeling much more inspired.

I think a lot of companies have seen that working from home is practical, easy to implement and financially a good idea. It can work well for both them and their staff. For any company trying to be a bit more environmentally friendly, the benefits of working from home are something to seriously consider.

For companies where working from home is not an option, check out whether your workplace is eco-friendly.

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