Costly Commute: Study Sizes Up Remote Government Work’s Impact on Emissions

The debate over whether remote workers can adequately provide government services has been going on since COVID-19’s arrival sent virtually everyone home in early 2020.

Some politicians on Capitol Hill have suggested—some using pretty pointed words—that government workers need to be onsite to perform their jobs, and have called for a return to pre-pandemic, strictly in-person work models throughout the public sector.

And, while public sector employees’ views on coming back to the office have shifted somewhat in the last four-plus years, not all are quite so eager to give up their telework options.

A new study of government workers in Canada makes an interesting environmental case for allowing public sector employees to stay home going forward.

Based on surveys of around 1,500 employees across three government offices, including the Canada Revenue Agency, the Carleton University report analyzed emissions from homes, offices, transportation and internet use, CBC News recently reported.

Between December 2023 and February 2024, federal employees in Quebec and the National Capitol Region—covering Ottawa, Gatineau and the surrounding metropolitan area—answered questions about their homes and work model, filling out “transportation diaries” on their work commute, according to the CBC.

Overall, the researchers found federal employees in Ottawa working remotely produce 25% fewer emissions than those who work in-person on a full-time basis.

The decrease was even greater among federal employees in Quebec, where emissions were 64% lower in comparison to in-office workers, according to the CBC, noting that this difference was largely due to more energy-efficient homes in the province.

“The analysis suggests each additional weekday a hybrid employee in the National Capital Region worked remotely is associated with annual emissions reductions between about 235 and 350 kilograms of carbon emissions, roughly equivalent to burning 150 litres [more than 30 gallons] of gasoline,” wrote CBC News’ Alexandra Mae Jones. Those savings stem largely from lower transportation emissions from commuting along with an assumed reduction in the federal government’s office space, she pointed out.

“The major takeaway for this is that telework is … a more sustainable version compared to in-office work,” report co-author and Carleton University researcher Farzam Sepanta told CBC News, adding that this should remain true as long as hybrid workers and teleworkers make informed decisions about their habits and behaviors.

Sharon DeSousa, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), said in a statement to CBC News that the Canadian government was “squandering” an opportunity to foster a workforce that helps create a more sustainable future.

“This eye-opening study proves what we’ve been saying all along,” said DeSousa. “Remote work is better work.”