Dec 02 2021 60 mins
Government and public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic required employees to work from home where possible. Over a period of a year and half, working from home became the new norm for a considerable number of employees and organisations in Ireland and across the world. As we look to the post-pandemic landscape, it is clear that working from home will continue to be a significant part of that landscape. Organisations are developing hybrid and flexible working policies which include some time in the office and some time working remotely in a hybrid format.
The Working from Home: Quantifying Economic and Environmental Impacts and Opportunities webinar presented findings from travel and commuting data gathered in the NUI Galway and Western Development Commission national remote working survey during COVID-19. The webinar brings together multidisciplinary insights to assess environmental and economic impacts and opportunities from working from home. The event is relevant to organisations, individuals and policy makers interested in understanding economic and environmental impacts of hybrid, remote, distributed and flexible working. Much discussion and debate to-date focuses on the employment and HR issues regarding the COVID-19 impact on how and where we work. This webinar extends the debate to examine broader economic and environmental issues and opportunities.
Professor Alma McCarthy provided an overview of the working from home opportunities and challenges for employees and employers from the national remote working survey data.
Dr Eoghan Clifford outlined the overall change in transport patterns during the recent COVID-19 pandemic including an outline of pre-COVID-19 travel patterns, lockdown travel patterns and potential travel patterns post-pandemic based on stated preferences for remote working in the national survey. He outlined potential impacts that remote working could have on transport emissions based on data from the NUI Galway/WDC national remote working survey. He also presented a breakdown of potential savings from different sectoral and regional analyses.
Dr Tom McDermott discussed economic implications of a shift to increased remote working. Survey respondents indicate a strong preference to continue with flexible and remote working beyond the pandemic. The perceived value of attending the office appears to have declined dramatically. This shift in work practices offers potentially large economic and environmental gains. Alongside the potential emissions reductions, an increase in remote working could also bring substantial productivity gains for the economy, particularly in the form of reduced time spent commuting. However, the gains are contingent on behavioural responses to the new norm, and need to be weighed against concerns about unequal access to and benefits from remote working. A range of complementary policy interventions may be required to ensure the potential gains from remote working are realised and unintended negative effects kept to a minimum.
Professor John FitzGerald acted as discussant and reflected on economic and climate related policy implications of the findings presented in the webinar. He drew on his experience and work on the Climate Change Advisory Council and Ireland’s carbon budgets to inform the discussion.
The event coincided with the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow November 2021.