Light vehicles, including passenger cars, account for about a third of global oil demand and produce about half of all transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Teleworking is the fastest and most effective way to reduce commuting-related emissions for all staff (1).
Key actions
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#1 Encourage staff
Allow and encourage staff to work from home or close by.
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#2 More teleworking days
Go beyond the minimum number of days of telework per week required or recommended by the authorities.
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#3 Financial support
Pay home internet bills, coworking space memberships and cell phone bills.
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#4 Technological support
Provide good videoconferencing tools and train staff in their use.
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#5 Advocacy
Join forces with other organisations to advocate the right to telework with the authorities.
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#6 Corporate resources
Establish corporate policies and procedures (test them in advance if possible) on accessing corporate resources and who to contact in case of problems.
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#7 Regularly check in with the staff
Set up realistic goals, working schedules and follow-up mechanisms, being flexible where possible and taking into account personal circumstances.
#8 Secure systems and practices
6 key sub-actions
- Secure teleworking equipment: hard disk encryption, inactivity timeouts, privacy screens, strong authentication, removable media control and encryption (e.g. USB drives), process to remotely disable access to a device that has been lost or stolen
- Secure remote access: only allow your employees to connect to the corporate network through a company-provided VPN with multi-factor authentication, ensure that remote sessions automatically time out and require re-authentication after a specified period of inactivity
- Secure your corporate communications: enforce the use of multi-factor authentication to access corporate email accounts. Provide access to secure communication channels for employees to reach each other easily, as well as to communicate with external stakeholders
- Keep device operating systems and apps updated. This will help mitigate the risk of cybercriminals exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities
- Increase your security monitoring: actively check unusual remote user activity and increase your alert levels for VPN-related attacks
- Raise staff awareness about the risks of teleworking
To consider
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Potential co-benefits
- Reduction of transport costs
- Time savings and improved work-life balance
- Health-related benefits (less time spent in transportation and stress due to commuting)
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Success conditions
- Increase awareness of teleworking benefits (senior management, in particular)
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Prerequisites & specificities
- Authorities allowing teleworking
- Access to appropriate IT tools, materials and internet connection
- Some remote locations do not have the necessary connectivity to ensure teleworking
- A working spirit that encourages, trusts and recognises the value of its employees, regardless of teleworking
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Potential risks
- Reluctance of some employees or managers who consider teleworking negatively (eg. career-damaging)
- Social isolation
- Health effects related to the excessive use of screens
- Weaker information protection (depends on IT facilities)
- Lower productivity for some staff if not well managed
- Gender inequalities
To meditate
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Gender equality and telework
If organisations are promoting telework policies, they should be aware of gender inequalities. (10) Most teleworkers are men, but women often carry a disproportionately high burden of unpaid care and domestic work which can be exacerbated by teleworking. (11) It is therefore important that organisations have a gender-sensitive approach to achieving the necessary social and technological innovation to ensure that telework contributes to promoting gender equality.
Tools and good practices
To go further
Car use rationalisation
Online meetings & trainings
Soft mobility
Public transport
Sources
(1) The ICCT – Light Vehicles. Read here.
(2) Telework one day per week reduces emissions by 271 kg CO2e per year. Read here.
(3) A long-term favourable rebound effect of +52% if the teleworker is in flex office. Read here.
(4) 7 out of 10 French people commute using their car. Read here.
(5) Commuting represents 57% of local mobility emissions from Monday to Friday in France. Read here.
(6) TDH Suisse teleworking support.
(7) E-teleworking platform in Bolivia. Read here.
(8) EPFL teleworking policy. Read here.
(9) Bancolombia and Try my Ride. Read here.
(10) Lyttelton, Thomas & Zang, Emma & Musick, Kelly. Gender Differences in Telecommuting and Implications for Inequality at Home and Work, 2020. doi:10.31235/osf.io/tdf8c. Read here.
(11) European Economic and Social Committee, Teleworking and gender equality, 2021. Read here.
Cover photo © Chris Montgomery/Unsplash.