Teleworking can significantly reduce participating employees' commute travel. For example, a twice-a-week teleworker reduces commute trips by 40%.

If 40% of the U.S. population that holds telework-compatible jobs worked from home half of the time, the nation would save 453 million barrels of oil (57% of Gulf oil imports) and the environment would be saved the equivalent of taking 15 million cars permanently off the road. [wi]

Telecommuting offers benefits to employers, employees and communities.

Employers that offer telework programs benefit from: 

  • Increased employee productivity
  • Reduce spread of illness working-from-home
  • Reduces carbon footprint and energy usage
  • Improved employee recruitment and retention
  • Improved employee moral
  • Reduced overhead costs
  • Decreased demands for office and parking space

Employees who telework benefit from:

  • Less parking and commuting expenses
  • Reduces carbon footprint and fuel usage
  • Better balance of work and personal lives
  • Frees up the equivalent of 15 to 25 workdays a year—time they would have otherwise spent commuting
  • Less commuting stress

Communites benefit from telework with:

  • Fuller employment opportunities
  • Rreduces traffic congestion and accidents
  • Rrelieves the strain on transportation infrastructures
  • Rreduces greenhouse gases
  • Saves fuel
  • Rreduces energy use
  • Improves disaster preparedness

DRCOG's telework team helps you explore key issues involved in implementing a telework program that fits your company's unique needs.