Why Every Day Should Be Earth Day

Posted by: Guest Author

Having been a full-time supporter of telework and telecommuting for the last 10+ years, I was thinking that this would be a great day to discuss the reasons for my preferred way to protect our Mother E. Concerning my favorite topic, it's interesting that there are so many reasons to do it - and people do it for so many different reasons.

Employers generally look at the bottom line benefits to telework that can be derived:

• Increased employee productivity
• Reduced real estate needs and the associated overhead costs
• Greater employee retention
• Higher employee morale
• Reduced costs related to absenteeism

But there are so many more reasons to allow - and promote - teleworking and telecommuting! Our organization, the Telework Coalition, has conducted studies showing that for each employee an employer sends home to work full-time, he/she will save an average of $20,000 per year - yes, every year! And there are even a few employers who see the environmental benefit of getting so many vehicles off the road every day - better air to breathe because of less pollution, less climate change with fewer pollutants being spewed into the air.

Some look at telework as an employee benefit because of just not having to put up with, what for many, is an awful daily commute. Some see work/life balance as the primary reason. Many realize the savings on gas, vehicle wear and tear, tires and auto insurance when the daily commute miles are zero.

These same folks realize the additional savings that can be obtained by eliminating the:

• Parking fees at work
• Cost involved with eating lunch at a restaurant every day
• Ongoing expense to buy new clothes to impress co-workers
• Dry cleaning bills to keep those nice clothes clean

It all adds up! We calculated that the average full-time telecommuter will save $8,000 per year.  And many recognize the fact that they are bettering our environment. And today, on Earth Day, is a great day to recognize and celebrate this. Our communities are realizing the high cost of maintaining their roads, highways, bridges and other transportation infrastructures caused by an ever increasing amount of commuter traffic. And, let's not forget the new road construction necessary to handle that traffic. Fewer people driving to work each day will go a long way to eliminating much of this. More and more communities want better air quality, too.

Regardless of the reason for telecommuting, there are benefits to everyone - employers, employees, families and Mother Earth. Let's understand that we'll all benefit from everyone who left their cars in their garages, parked in their driveways or in front of their houses and decided to work from home today.

Why not do it every day?