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Feature - Home-working to fight credit crunch and climate change
UK workers could use new technology to beat the credit crunch and help fight climate change.
Technologies such as VoIP and high-speed broadband make home-working an attractive and viable option, with the added benefit of cutting out the commute, and in turn, wasted time and money.
AA president Edmund King has been championing the benefits of home working, advising fellow business heads to follow suit.
"Three hundred AA employees are saving 90,000 litres of fuel or 620,000 miles commuting each year by working from home," he said at the UK Work Wise Summit in London.
"In transport terms home working cuts out the commute, reduces congestion and carbon emissions. Hopefully other companies will follow the AA lead to put more workers on the superhighway rather than the actual highway now that the technology is much more affordable."
According to the RAC, the average UK commuter spends 45 minutes, travelling 8.5 miles on each trip. That equates to more than two weeks and 3,995 miles per year assuming you worked for 235 days.
When weighed up with today's average petrol prices of £117.60 per litre, travelling that distance in a car running at 35mpg would cost £610.23.
It would be reasonable to assume that an extra £600+ and two weeks free time a year for every employee would boost staff morale.
A recent survey found that 30 per cent of companies employing home workers said they were more productive than office-based workers, compared to only eight per cent who found them less productive.
There are also financial incentives for companies to offer home-working, one example being that of BT.
The telecoms company has 13,590 registered home-workers which saves it £40 million per year on accommodation costs. As BT has been offering this for a number of years, their total savings are around £350 million.
It also says that smarter working has resulted in up to 31 per cent gains in productivity and reduced the sick absence rate to one per cent.
It also boasts a 99 per cent return rate from maternity leave, compared to the UK average of only 70 per cent.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "Real progress has been made in persuading more employers to offer innovative flexible working practices.
"Those employers that take the plunge report back benefits to their business, including improved productivity, reduced costs, and better staff recruitment, retention and motivation."
With savings for both employer and employee, home-working could solve a number of problems.
As the credit crunch hits both companies and consumers, every penny saved counts.
Also, the rising cost of oil is set to make commuting ever more expensive, while at the same time pushing up food prices due to increased import and delivery costs.
With this in mind, could VoIP and high speed broadband technology encourage a trend towards home-working in the UK?
For the sake of the economy, our wallets and the environment, let's hope so.
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