Unions representing public servants in Canada are not happy. The federal government announced it would mandate federal workers back to the office three days a week.
Now, a new study showed the climate impact of working remotely.
Federal public servants in Ottawa who work remotely contributed 25% fewer emissions than those who worked only from the office.
The report was funded by the federal government and is based on surveys of roughly 1,500 employees across three government offices. They analyzed emissions from homes, offices, transportation and internet use.
Remote workers in Quebec contributed even fewer emissions thanks largely to greener homes. They are heated by electric baseboards rather than natural gas, and the province’s virtually all-renewable energy grid.
The analysis suggests each additional weekday a hybrid employee in the National Capital Region worked remotely is associated with annual reductions between 235 and 350 kilograms of carbon emissions. Roughly, this is the equivalent to burning 150 litres of gasoline.
Those savings are largely attributed to lower transportation emissions from commuting.
This proves that telework is more sustainable than in-office work.
While those reductions may be relatively small on their own, they add up when applied to thousands of federal public servants.
Additionally, a study from Cornell University and Microsoft last year estimated remote workers could have a 54% smaller carbon footprint compared to on-site workers.
A major public-sector union was quick to laud the results as further evidence of the benefits of remote work.
