National Telework Week Encourages Companies to Work Green

Are you a professional or an employer looking to get a little more green at work? From March 5-9, individuals and companies can join National Telework Week and pledge to telecommute each day in order to test out the environmental and cost-savings benefits of working from home.

For anyone interested in working in more environmentally friendly ways, this is the perfect chance to make a big impact with minimal effort.

Last year, Telework Week, started by Telework Exchange, debuted with almost 40,000 participants pledging to work from home either part or all of the week. The environmentally, cost, and time savings was huge - According to the Network, 2011’s participants, “saved $2,730,229 on commuting costs, gained back 148,692 hours into their day, and removed 1,818 tons of pollutants from the air, while refraining from driving 3,764,001 miles.”

As a company, FlexJobs just submitted its pledge to participate this year and because we have 20 team members who will telecommute full-time, we’ll be experiencing some impressive savings:

$3,555.00 - Total amount saved on commuting costs by teleworking during Telework Week
4,725 - Number of pounds of pollutants saved
2.250 - Number of tons of pollutants saved

Because everyone at our company telecommutes year-round, our savings really compound over time:

$177,750.00 - Total amount saved on commuting costs by teleworking every week for a year
236,250 - Number of pounds of pollutants saved
112.500 - Number of tons of pollutants saved

And the benefits of teleworking don’t stop with the environment and commuting costs. Telecommuting makes workers 11-15 percent more productive than office-bound employees, according to a 2011 study by Stanford University. And the University of Minnesota study found that telecommuters are healthier and less stressed. On average, people who work from home get an extra hour of sleep every night, have higher energy levels, and have less stress overall.

So, with National Telework Week fast-approaching, why not take this opportunity to reconsider your work arrangement and try out telecommuting? Individuals and companies can participate, and can pledge to work from home either full-time or part-time. Telecommuting is environmentally and financially beneficial for employees and employers, so it’s a true win-win situation.

Brie Weiler Reynolds is a freelance writer and the Manager of Content and Community Outreach at FlexJobs, the leading site for telecommuting and flexible job listings, where she blogs and manages social media. A college career advisor by trade, Brie writes about job search and career advice, workplace trends, personal finance, and lifestyle. She finds joy in discovering and creating useful information and resources which help others to bring order and purpose to their lives, and she is passionate about work-life balance and environmental sustainability. A native of upstate New York, Brie has lived in Boston, New Jersey, and Atlanta over the past ten years, and enjoys traveling at home and abroad.

Edited by Stefania Viscusi