DigiWorks

How Does Remote Work Help the Environment?

Feb 13, 2023 • 7 min read

Now that many global issues are on the rise, including the discussion on climate change and environmental topics, individuals are switching to environment-friendly alternatives even with work setup. During the phase of COVID-19, when people were restricted from using public transportation and were under quarantine protocols, there were visible changes in our environment. Comparatively, remote work also offers plenty of environmental benefits, which are to be discussed in this blog. DigiWorks provided some bright and insightful observations on how this new setup significantly improves our environment. Will this setup be a way for us to eliminate issues with climate change? Let’s find out!

Environmental Impact of Remote Work

Since the impact of the corporate world on the environment is being questioned, many businesses are switching to more environment-friendly alternatives, including working remotely. Traditional work offices include daily transportation, which is one of the major reasons for greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, it is more costly and consumes too much energy. But now that remote work is introduced, workers are not obligated to do actions that worsen the situation of our environment. There are also many other elements that support the benefits of remote work in the environment, which will be tackled further in this article!

1. Remote work consumes lesser space, time, and cost.

After the Great Resignation due to the surge of COVID-19 cases, many workers switched to remote work since it is relatively much safer. However, even after the pandemic, many workers chose to stay in the remote setting since it is less costly. It helps them save more money, invest in their health, and support their financial needs. Additionally, companies find remote work cost-effective since it lessens their expenses with work office, internet, and other office utilities and tools. All things considered, companies can allot more money to medical costs, employee perks, and other premises that help thrive their business.
The remote work setup also offers the flexibility of working from home since employees left their traditional offices to switch to a home-based workplace.
That means many businesses are left with an ample amount of space that can help them expand their business. They can also turn these extra spaces into recreational centres, leisure facilities, and community areas. They can also be used for tree planting activities to leave more green spaces, which helps our environment! We can observe how many cities are populated with towering buildings, which companies established to serve as their office. However, remote work doesn’t require companies to consume massive space for their office, which will lessen the population of buildings in cities. With remote work, there will be plenty of room for trees to grow, which will eventually eliminate air pollution.
Lastly, it is less time-consuming! Since employees are not required to commute to their office or spend plenty of hours getting ready for work, it provides them with a better work-life balance. Oftentimes, employees are already exhausted when they get home from work. But, remote work offers flexibility in time and lessens the stress of working in the office. Therefore, employees have more time to spend on their personal lives and also help their community and environment.

Ready to build your remote team?

Use the DigiWorks platform to hire, manage, and pay remote talent from all over the world.

2. It reduces energy consumption from the office and transportation.

Since remote workers function in remote locations or at home, companies can minimise their electricity bills and conserve energy. Since reducing power usage lowers the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to decreasing power plant emission, it helps reduce the effect of climate change. But, companies can help even further by discussing ways to save electricity with their remote workers to ensure that their employees are also not wasting power consumption at home.

Additionally, since remote workers are not obligated to commute to their offices every day, it also conserves energy from transportation. It doesn’t just improve the quality of air but also lessens noise and water pollution, which positively affects our ecosystem. Plus, employees can save time than being in the middle of traffic congestion by staying at home. If you think about it, you’ll observe that remote work doesn’t just minimise pollution in the environment but also maintains the health of employees.

3. Allows remote employees to work and live in a convenient location

One of the most important factors of working remotely is employees can live anywhere they want! Some individuals might think that pursuing their career has the consequence of living in high-cost apartments in famous cities or travelling on the opposite side of the world. But, remote workers can enjoy working in the comfort of their homes and still become a part of teams from big companies globally. That will lessen the overflowing apartment buildings in cities caused by overpopulation. Consequently, there will also be lesser pollution, more land for agricultural production, and leaves more green spaces.

4. It reduces air pollution in urban areas.

If companies would start relying on the remote setting, it is possible that air pollution caused by vehicles will be less, leaving clean air for everyone to breathe. Company workers wouldn’t have to commute every day to the office, highways and streets would have less air pollution, and there would be no traffic congestion. Additionally, this is a great strategy to increase tourism in many countries by offering a more leisurely journey for tourists.

5. Eliminates plastic usage and food waste

Office-based workers often bring fast food or on-the-go food into the office with plastic packaging, which is highly dangerous to our ecosystem. Meanwhile, working from home allows employees to utilise their reusable kitchen utensils and doesn’t have to consume single-use food supplies. The issue with plastic is widely spread across the world, and it is alarming how much plastic waste humans produce in just a single year! Therefore, making small steps of using environment-friendly supplies and reducing the use of plastic will help save the forest, ocean, and other natural resources from being polluted. It also beautifies our environment if there is less plastic garbage on the streets. Additionally, food waste is relatively higher for office workers. Unlike remote employees, they can store leftovers in the fridge and eat them later. Employees can also enjoy homemade healthy foods, unlike the usual fast food they can buy near their office.

6. Provides employees with a better lifestyle

Embracing an environment-friendly lifestyle doesn’t just help the ecosystem but also your health! There are plenty of health benefits, including less exposure to air pollution, consuming healthier food, and exposure to a more relaxing environment. Additionally, working remotely allows you to manage your own life, including the foods you eat, workout routines, and healthy habits. That means you have the option of pursuing a healthier lifestyle as long as you manage an outstanding work-life balance and become involved in your own personal well-being.

7. Lessens the usage of paper

You probably haven’t seen an office that doesn’t have piles of paper on every employee’s desk. Office-based companies often require employees to print out all needed documents and to always have a hard copy of every task they are working on. However, working remotely utilises storage services such as Google Drive to store important information instead of printing everything out. It makes it easier to reduce the use of paper every year and makes storing the data more efficient! Many institutions use paper every day which causes harm to the forest. Therefore, reducing its use and utilising alternative ways will save many trees and make the Earth a better place to live!

Ready to build your remote team?

Use the DigiWorks platform to hire, manage, and pay remote talent from all over the world.

Conclusion

The DigiWorks Team understands that switching to environment-friendly alternatives is a huge step for everyone. There will be plenty of changes you need to make in order to help the world heal from all the pollution and damage caused by humans. But, choosing to become a better person and do what’s best for everyone will not just benefit you but your whole society. Remote work doesn’t just help many companies and workers to thrive but also positively impacts the environment. But most importantly, it is still how you choose to live that will change the world you live in.

Related Articles

About Digiworks

DigiWorks is an easy-to-use platform that helps small businesses and start ups hire amazing remote talent from around the world. DigiWorks offers a way for you to hire, manage and pay people from all countries. If you find an amazing virtual assistant from Philippines, a content writer from Nigeria, or operations manager from South Africa – manage and pay your entire team from one platform with no hassle.