HRreview Header

Is flexible working a solution to the climate crisis?

-

Is flexible working a solution to the climate crisis?

As flexible workspaces are increasingly being located outside of major cities and are situated more locally to employees, staff are cutting down on their commutes and helping with the fight against climate change.

The Suburban Economic Study, which was commissioned by Regus, and conducted by independent economists found that the growth of flexi-working in smaller towns and suburban areas by 2029 will reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of 65 transatlantic flights between London and New York.

Regus helps other businesses adopt flexible workspaces.

 

HRreview Logo

Get our essential daily HR news and updates.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Weekday HR updates. Unsubscribe anytime.
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Optin_date
This field is hidden when viewing the form

 

 

The study found that these local flexi-office spaces will save workers an average of 411,000 of commuting days per annum by 2029.

It was also found that the “flex economy” could add more than £12 billion to local economies over the next decade.

Mark Dixon, CEO for Regus’ parent company IWG, said:

Commuting can be uncomfortable, unfriendly, and incredibly time-consuming. It is also a huge source of global pollution. In an age where every business and individual has a responsibility for their environmental impact, commuting into major cities looks increasingly old fashioned.

Over the next decade we expect to open many more locations in smaller towns, cities and suburban areas. Our vision is that, in the near future, there will be a professional workspace available on every corner ending the idea of commuting for good. This will benefit our personal health, as well as that of our planet.

In January 2020, productivity experts, 99&One found that 66 per cent of employees say flexible working has increased their productivity but as 67 per cent of workers have yet to be trained on instant messaging, 61 per cent on shared documents, 48 per cent on cloud-based collaborations tools, 40 per cent on video conferencing and 36 per cent on audio conferencing, it is reducing the productivity brought with flexible working.

Those who have received training on flexible working technologies are five times happier at work than those who have not (56 per cent vs 11 per cent). Trained flexible workers are also as twice as likely to get more work done (45 per cent vs 18 per cent).

Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.

Latest news

FourthWall – Employee Experience as a Culture Catalyst: Powering Organisational Change

This white paper reveals how purposeful and strategic employee experiences - brought to life through targeted event activations - can turn disruption into opportunity, right across the employee lifecycle.

Work from home could become a legal right under new plans

Proposals would make it harder to refuse flexible working, with staff able to challenge decisions in tribunals.

Graduate jobs fall sharply as hiring hits lowest level in 13 years

Entry-level hiring drops to a 13-year low as applications surge, leaving graduates facing tougher competition and slower pay growth.

Law firm introduces AI interviews for graduates in hiring first

AI interviews are being introduced for graduate roles as employers rethink hiring and manage rising application volumes.
- Advertisement -

‘One in three employees reluctant to speak up’ as wellbeing gaps widen

One in three employees hold back at work as stress remains high and gender gaps in wellbeing raise concerns for performance.

Neil Buck: Building effective AI policies in the workplace

AI offers organisations the chance to work more intelligently rather than simply faster - but these opportunities sit alongside genuine challenges.

Must read

Rachel Whale: How can you attract the best graduates to your organisation?

As graduate salaries fall, and competition in the graduate...

Angela Love: Forget ‘talent attraction’, it’s all about ‘talent production’

The act of recruiting has many innovations taking place, mainly within the realms of technology, but the approach to acquiring talent is changing too. Angela Love talks about how apprentice talent is changing the way people work at Active.
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you