COVID-19 has drastically changed the work scene for so many industries. Though our planet is fighting the virus together, we can’t help but notice some of the good changes that have started as a result.
According to a 2013 article from Bureau of Labor Statistics, office and administrative support occupations make up nearly 16 percent of the U.S. employment. We are talking tens of millions of people who for the most part, walk out their door in the morning and hop in the car and commute an average of 15 miles (acceding to the Department of Transportation) one way to an office where they work, maybe even run out to grab lunch and then make their drive home in the afternoon.
While we are unable to have several people in an office as we try to limit the spread of this invisible threat, many employers have switched to work-from-home models for their administrative employees. The work simply can’t wait. And while it isn’t always easy to work from home, we are making an incredible impact on the environment with a drastic decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel consumption, and even energy usage.
But fewer cars on the road isn’t the only positive impact! Here are a few other reasons working from home is a sustainable and more eco-friendly option we hope will stick around.
Less Paper Use
When you are part of an office environment you know the story. Meeting, paperwork and more paperwork from employee files, reports for review, presentations to edit and markup, and signatures. Nowadays with work-from-home opportunities, employers are learning about and using Zoom for meetings and sharing digital documents on shared drives for review and signature. Employees can digitally markup presentations and edit resources without printing and adding to the overuse of paper in our Country.
Eating Better
Back when I used to work in Human Resources, I had an hour commute one way and I consistently forgot to pack a lunch and or snacks for the long day. Instead I would run out and order lunch and because it was a short break, I rarely ate a meal that was actually good for me! While we are working from home, we also have the opportunity to save MONEY from eating out so often and instead, eat what we already have. This also allows us to make better choices when we have the time to prepare a balanced meal or sneak out to the garden and make a quick and fresh salad!
Employee Mental Health & Wellness
This is probably one of my favorite reasons I see as being so impactful for human health. Again, back when I worked in Human Resources and commented to work, I had to wake up at least three hours. before work to get ready, eat and have time to commute and be logged in by 7:30am. My day was over at 4pm and it was still an hour or more (yay rush hour) before I got home and tried to think of what to eat. I would often settle for whatever was quick and easy instead of what would be nutritious.
While employees are working from home, they are getting more sleep and getting more TIME back to do what makes them happy. More family time, time to cook a healthy meal, working in the garden or heck, time to BUILD A GARDEN you can sneak out to and grab fresh produce. A few of my personal wellness hobbies now include reading, yoga, taking my dog for a short walk on my 15min break and birdwatching from my patio while I drink my morning coffee.
These shifts, even if small, are a great benefit to an employees overall health which in turn has employees performing better as well. A win-win for everyone involved!
If you aren’t currently working from home but would like to ask your employer, see this post on How To Ask to Work From Home.