Flexible Working, Happy Employees and CO2 Emissions

26.02.2021, 07:27
Flexible Working, Happy Employees and CO2 Emissions
A new analysis of flexible working preferences in the UK post-lockdown points to a potential reduction of CO2āÆemissions by around a quarter, but also raises concerns over the quality of office environments.
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WithĀ the GovernmentĀ revealing itsĀ roadmap for the lifting ofĀ Covid-19 restrictions, workers are set to return to officesĀ later this year. However,Ā new working practices meanĀ theyĀ will still split their time between the office and home.Ā
The analysis byĀ globalĀ consultancy Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA) found, however, thatĀ peopleĀ wantĀ to work from home on the same days ā Mondays and Fridays ā so that the remaining two or three days in the office are bunched together, with workplace utilisation potentially resembling a Swiss cheese.Ā
This agglomeration threatens to undermine many of the benefits of a part-time working-from-home revolutionĀ prompted by the changes that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought.Ā Ā
AWA has calculated thatĀ with smart working practices post-Covid 19,Ā office workers couldāÆcut theirāÆannualāÆCO2āÆemissions by an average ofĀ 26%, so saving the UK a massiveāÆ10.5āÆmillion tonnes of CO2āÆa year,āÆthe equivalent ofāÆ7āÆmillion return flights from London to New York.āÆĀ
Its founder,Ā Andrew Mawson, says: “Analysis and studies from around the world show that people will want to change the way they work when this pandemic is over, coming into the officeĀ on averageĀ just two or three days a week. However,Ā weĀ predictĀ thatĀ with their new-found flexibilityĀ almost everyoneĀ wants toĀ go into the office onĀ the same days, avoiding Mondays and Fridays so they can āshoulderā the weekend.āÆĀ
“Unless leaders act to manageāÆwhen people come intoāÆthe office and introduce flexible models ofĀ officeĀ workingĀ when they are in,āÆthen offices will end upāÆnearly empty, with no buzz, for large stretches of the week.”āÆĀ
The company has drawn up a new model for office utilisation that wouldāÆallow companies to have busy, productive workspaces throughoutāÆthe week.āÆĀ
Based on detailed studies it has conducted,āÆthe averageāÆannualāÆCO2āÆemissions of a British office worker can be cut from 5.69Ā tonnes toĀ 4.23āÆtonnes taking in savings in office usage, commuting, business travel and consumables, such as printingāÆorāÆpaper, offset by extra costs associated with providing heating and lighting at home. IfĀ allĀ 7.22āÆmillionāÆknowledge-based office workers ināÆtheāÆUKāÆworked smartly, the totalāÆannualāÆsavingāÆcould beāÆ10.5āÆmillionāÆtonnes of CO2,āÆthe equivalent ofĀ 3.0 per cent of the UKās total emissions.āÆĀ
William Buller, AWAāsāÆLow Carbon Working consultant, explains further:āÆ
“Smart working means that offices can save onāÆthe amount of space they use, as well as heating, lighting and other consumables, and also reap a massive dividend in cutting their environmental footprint by nearly two fifths.Ā
“With organisations under pressure from the GovernmentāÆas part of the UKās target to move to net zero by 2050, this isāÆaĀ potential win-win for everyone.”āÆĀ
Download AWS’ “I Don’t Like Mondays (or Fridays)” report from the downloads section of this page.