Telecommuting: Transforming the Industry

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Beyond the scope of positive effects that telecommuting has on businesses themselves, working from home can also cause substantial, yet positive, environmental changes. A 2008 study discovered that “The typical personal vehicle produces 5.0 tons of carbon dioxide annually” (Fuhr, Pociask, 2011). It can clearly be seen how this is a lot of pollution being put into the atmosphere. Even a small reduction to this from each vehicle on the road can instantly decrease the amount of carbon dioxide from being released into the air. Furthermore, “Assuming fuel efficiency of 21 miles per gallon, commuting to work using personal vehicles consumes 44 billion gallons of gasoline per year. In terms of greenhouse gasses, private vehicles used during commuting release 424 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year” (Fuhr, Pociask, 2011). Having even half of regular commuters choose a work from home option significantly reduces the pollution put into the air each year. On top of greenhouse gasses emitted into the atmosphere via commuting vehicles, energy savings come in the forms of less office space being used, as well as office space needing to be built (Fuhr, Pociask, 2011). This can create a bit of a domino effect in the form of less office space being used, therefore less office space being built, therefore more of the planet is able to stay as open land.

Those who oppose telecommuting argue that even though telecommuting may take some cars off of the road, there are going to be cars on the road regardless of the telecommuters. This may be true, but reducing the amount of cars on the roads not only eliminates greenhouse gasses from escaping into the atmosphere, it also makes roads safer by reducing the amount of cars on the roads themselves. This, in turn, can lead to less roads needing to be built. Less cars on the roads also means less traffic and a reduced need for road-working crews that cause slow roadways. Moreover, research shows “the typical worker pays US$688 annually for work-related gasoline, and represents a direct savings for telecommuters” (Fuhr, Pociask, 2011). This number can vary depending on the cost of gasoline throughout the year. Regardless of this, most workers need to account for time driving to and from work into non-paid working hours, and sometimes this time can also include looking for parking, and even more, possibly needing to pay for parking. It can be seen that significant environmental advantages for telecommuting can potentially lead to financial savings as well on the part of the telecommuter.

Telecommuting is the future of business with conclusive results showing improved productivity, more balance for employees juggling their work and home lives, as well as vital advancements in preserving the environment. Studies show that working from home allows employees to feel more dedicated to the job, and in turn, become more productive workers. Time saved by not traveling to and from work allows telecommuting employees to rid themselves of the stress of getting to work on time, as well as possible traffic jams. This allows for a more relaxed, and productive employee. Managing home life and work life can be a tricky task with in-office workers trying to budget time for home life obligations, as well as work ones. Telecommuting allows these employees to organize their time more efficiently, with extra time added to their days due to not commuting. The actual act of commuting can take sometimes an hour or more out of a person’s day. Telecommuting gives this time back to the employee and helps the environment in the process. With the absence of telecommuters driving to and from their office each day, the roads are safer, due to less cars on them, and a substantial amount of greenhouses gasses are not put into the atmosphere each year. There is also the added benefit of energy conservation in terms of office spaces not needing to be built as well as office spaces not being used, and thus, not using energy. The overall picture shows that telecommuting is the path that businesses are looking to head into the future. The technology is available, and with that, comes changes to the industry. Telecommuting, as anything, has its obstacles, but the positives outweigh the negatives in this imminent industry transformation.

References

Allen, T. D., Golden, T. D., & Shockley, K. M. (2015). How effective is telecommuting? Assessing the status of our scientific findings. Psychological Science In The Public Interest, 16(2), 40-68. doi:10.1177/1529100615593273

Butler, E. S., Aasheim, C., & Williams, S. (2007). Does Telecommuting Improve Productivity?. Communications Of The ACM, 50(4), 101-103. doi:10.1145/1232743.1232773

Fuhr, J. P., & Pociask, S. (2011). Broadband and telecommuting: helping the U.S. environment and the economy. Low Carbon Economy, (1), 41.

Koh, C., Allen, T. D., & Zafar, N. (2013). Dissecting reasons for not telecommuting: Are nonusers a homogenous group?. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 16(4), 243-260. doi:10.1037/mgr0000008

Matos, K., & Galinsky, E. (2015). Commentary on how effective is telecommuting? Assessing the status of our scientific findings. Psychological Science In The Public Interest, 16(2), 38-39. doi:10.1177/1529100615604666