Writing for the Harvard Business ReviewGanga Shreedhar (Kate Laffan), and Laura Giurge are the authors London School of Economics explain that contrary to expectations, working from home “is not a clear win for the environment”—but there are three factors companies can consider when trying to establish environmentally sustainable work-from-home (WFH) policies.
The WFH shift
During the height of the pandemic, the percentage of people WFH in the United States rose from 5% to 37%—and now many employees intend to continue working remotely. Shreedhar Laffan, Giurge, and Giurge note that while initial Covid-19 lockdowns affected mobility and reduced emissions by 17%, emissions are now almost back at pre-pandemic levels.
These four domains can have a significant impact on the environment.
1.Energy
According to the authors, the impact of WFH on energy use is mixed. For example, some studies have shown a positive effect while others have shown a neutral, or even negative, impact on energy consumption.
The authors conclude that such impacts can be affected by individual characteristics of employees (e.g. awareness, attitudes and wealth), home infrastructure (e.g. building energy ratings, supplier) and even situational factors (e.g. geographic location and season).
Companies should consider the possible sustainability impacts of residential energy emission when designing WFH policies.
2. Transport
The authors write that while reducing commute time to WFH will undoubtedly have environmental benefits, there is evidence of rebound effects such as increased non-work travel and shorter trips.
In California, for example, an analysis of WFH employees who made the transition to WFH in the Covid-19 pandemic showed that the decrease in vehicle miles was accompanied by a decline in a 26% Increase in the average number of trips taken.
3. Technology
Each employee’s digital behavior has a significant impact on the environment from an individual footprint perspective. For example, one study suggests that a “typical business” user before the Covid-19 pandemic created 298lbs of carbon dioxide—the equivalent of driving 200 miles in a car—every year, just by sending emails.
Technology requirements have changed over time for businesspeople. In many cases, less in-person interaction can lead to more online communication. “Equally problematic is that the primary short-term WFH policy adopted by several companies has been to provide employees with laptops, even at the risk of duplicating devices,” the authors write.
4. Waste
The first Covid-19 lockdown saw recycling increase in the United Kingdom. Past research that suggested that employees typically adopt more sustainable waste practices in their homes than offices.
“Thus, WFH may have a net positive environmental impact for waste management behaviors, keeping in mind that local services like provision of waste bins for sorting and recycling are important enabling factors,” the authors write.
Three ways WFH can be made more environmentally-friendly by companies
When creating WFH policies for their organization, leaders who wish to reduce the environmental impacts of their workforce can keep these three points in mind:
1. Establish a culture of environmental sustainability
The authors write, “To create an environmentally sustainable culture and climate-friendly environment, organizations must ensure that sustainability considerations in all corporate decisions across all departments”
Companies must first identify the existing social norms and perceptions that are relevant to WFH and employees’ travel, waste, and energy emissions. They must then find ways to reduce these emissions by focusing their attention on how people interact with each practice.
Leaders can also influence the sustainability culture of their organization by following existing environmental policies.
“Leaders must walk the talk but they also need to allow employees to choose how they implement policies. Doing so will allow employees to feel supported rather than monitored, and boost rather than erode employees’ trust and goodwill,” the authors write.
2. Create supportive policies
The authors recommend that remote employees receive the appropriate support from their organization in each of these domains.
These policies could include policies that encourage employees and provide access to auto-switching energy services to encourage them to switch to renewable energy sources at their home.
The authors suggest that employers offer incentives to encourage active travel to work meetings or offer recycling or safe disposal of obsolete electronic devices and other e-waste.
3. Be global while being local
While certain policies may be beneficial to all employees; environmental footprints will differ significantly between individuals, teams and companies.
A “one-size fits all” approach will not work in the end. Instead, the authors suggest that companies consider the unique circumstances of employees and the characteristics of their business operations in order to identify the most relevant behavior when creating and promoting environmentally sustainable WFH policy.
The authors write that “as remote work models become more popular, fewer employees’ sustainability benefits are likely to occur under employers’ physical roofs. However, they will still occur under their watch.”
The authors also noted that employees’ “specific circumstances and contextualities” are important in order to better understand environmental impacts. (Shreedhar et al., Harvard Business Review, 3/7)