Remote work and environmental sustainability: Epta’s results

search 04 Oct 2022

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Smart & Value remote work favors sustainability and efficiency

Epta took part in Smart & Value, a project that aims to measure remote work in terms of environmental, social and economic impact.

The initiative was organised by Stantec – a multinational leader in engineering and architectural design and consultancy – and Dilium – an innovative start-up in the Information and Communication Technology (ITC) and Technology Innovation Management (TIM) sector –, together with the Sustainability & Circular Economy Lab, the University of Bologna and Manageritalia Emilia-Romagna.

The goal of the project was to translate the qualitative advantages of working from home into quantitative parameters.

The experiment involved over 300 employees from 11 companies for 6 months of flexible working – that is, 2/3 days a week. It came to an end on the 15th of September: numbers at hand, the sums are finally being drawn.

 

Remote work and agile method: the advantages for the environment

Is a remote work organisational model in line with the ESG framework?

Here are the results of Smart & Value regarding CO2 impact on the atmosphere, kilometres travelled, travel time, costs (for employees and the company) and productivity:

  • Reduced CO2 emissions by an amount equal to that absorbed in one year by a 32-hectare forest.
  • Reduced travel by over 700,000 km, equivalent to 17 revolutions of the equator.
  • Savings on fuel, tolls and parking costs and some household expenses, such as babysitting.
  • Savings on more than 14,000 hours of home-work travel, equivalent to about 6/7 years.
  • More money and more time dedicated to family, sports and even training, which correspond to more serene, collaborative and productive employees: 37% of respondents say they are less stressed, 25% more focused and 7% more creative.
  • HR departments, together with improved digitisation of procedures and organisational models, have experienced an increase in productivity, work by objectives and digital skills.

 

The benefits of remote work confirm the positivity and appreciation of this new working practice.

There is also a final piece of data that says a lot about the new generation of workers: only 4% of the sample involved prefer to work exclusively in the office.

 

Epta received its certificate of participation and confirmed, once again, its ability to adapt to a world in constant evolution and change. Today, being sustainable and digital means having the courage to question and review one's internal organisation, in the name of a new mode of operation called remote work.