ways2work > How to do it > Re-thinking commuting
Re-thinking commuting
Commuting more sustainably
69% of UK employees drive to work. The vast majority drive alone in their car. That’s a lot of empty space inside cars and a great deal of space taken up by cars. A quarter of all car journeys are less than 2 miles and 57% less than 5 miles – so many could be done by walking or cycling. Cars are great and they give us freedom however conversely they can at times inhibit that freedom through the congestion created and our over reliance on them. Reducing the amount we drive for work and increasing our use of sustainable or active travel modes has proven benefits for business, people and the environment. You will find more information here on sustainable and active ways to travel to work.
Reducing commuting
Another alternative is to do less commuting. Do your employees have to work full-time in an office building? Could they (or more of them) work from home and avoid regular commuting? Such no-commuting work arrangements are called teleworking and organisations all over the world have adopted teleworking for good business reasons. The common experience is that employees are happier and more productive and the organisation sees reduced cost and carbon footprint. What is good for business is good for the environment.
Teleworking is introduced here and from that page are links to pages that answer a number of practical questions about what telework is, who it is suitable for, and how to implement it.