As federal workers fight the mandate, a study finds remote work has climate benefits

Posted on October 24, 2024

By Jordan Omstead

Federal employees in Ottawa who work remotely produced 25 per cent fewer emissions than those who only worked from the office. That's according to a new report as a major public sector union fights against more mandated office days.

Teleworkers in Quebec produced even fewer emissions, thanks largely to greener homes heated with electric baseboards instead of natural gas and the province's virtually entirely renewable energy grid, the report said.

The report, funded by the federal government, is based on surveys of around 1,500 employees in three government offices and examines emissions from homes, offices, transportation and internet use.

The analysis suggests that each additional weekday that a hybrid employee in the National Capital Region works remotely is associated with an annual emissions reduction of between about 235 and 350 kilograms of CO2 emissions, roughly equivalent to burning 150 liters of gasoline .

These savings are largely due to reduced transportation emissions from commuting and an assumed reduction in federal government office space.

“The main conclusion is that teleworking… is a more sustainable option compared to working in the office,” said Farzam Sepanta, co-author of the report. He said that's the case as long as remote and hybrid workers make an “informed decision” about their habits and behaviors.

While these cuts may be relatively small on their own, they add up when applied to thousands of federal employees, said Sepanta, a graduate student at Carleton University. The findings were specific to the federal government, but he said they also had “big insights for people who work in the private sector.”

The results are consistent with similar studies that attempt to quantify the emissions of remote and hybrid work models. A study from Cornell University and Microsoft last year estimated that remote workers could have a 54 percent lower carbon footprint compared to on-site workers when lifestyle choices and work arrangements were taken into account.

Notably, the survey of federal workers doesn't take into account long-term impacts on emissions, such as whether people might migrate from urban centers to larger suburban homes with longer commutes. The survey also doesn't draw conclusions about how remote work might affect other aspects of work, such as employee expectations, company culture or customer satisfaction, Sepanta said.

A major public sector union was quick to praise the results as further evidence of the benefits of remote work.

In a written statement, Public Service Alliance of Canada national president Sharon DeSousa called the study “eye-opening” and said the government is “missing” an opportunity to build a modern workforce that will “pave the path to a sustainable future.” .

“This eye-opening study proves what we have always said: remote work is better work,” the statement said.

Unions representing state workers promised a “summer of discontent” after the federal government announced it would force federal workers back to the office from two days a week to three days a week. The previous policy was implemented in March 2023, two years after people began working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Treasury Secretariat said the government funded the report as part of a broader effort to understand emissions associated with, but not a direct result of, its operations. The department said in a statement that the findings provide helpful baseline information on emissions as well as recommendations in several areas related to “greening” transportation and office space.

“The Civil Service’s approach to hybrid work combines the benefits of in-person collaboration with the flexibility of remote work, while supporting green government operations,” the statement said.

The report's policy recommendations include downsizing physical office spaces to reduce emissions and encouraging the use of flexible shared office space to maximize building utilization. It also recommends subsidies or tax incentives for employees to purchase electric vehicles or use public transportation, and promotes the idea of ​​free public transit passes for employees who commit to using the system regularly.

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has blamed shortfalls in the city's public transit budget on ridership losses due to increased remote work and said it could take decades for the city to catch up with the ridership projections that underpin public transit expansion.

(C) The Canadian Press