To Save the Planet, the Time Has Come to Give Our Daily Commute the Boot

The pandemic gave us a small glimpse into what happens when we stop commuting to work. Can this translate to a long-term solution?

More than two years into the pandemic we can start to debrief on the lessons learned from COVID and its impact on the world of work. And one area that is ripe for disruption is our commute. 

During the peak of COVID, lockdowns provided an incredible opportunity to see what would happen to the environment if our daily commute was reduced or even eliminated. Driven in large part by lockdowns and more remote work, the drop in emissions marked the largest decline on record as less people drove to, from, and for work. Global greenhouse gas emissions plunged by roughly 2.4 billion tons in 2020, a 7% drop from 2019.  
 
However, the retreat was short-lived. By the end of 2021 emissions not only rebounded, but they surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose by 6% in 2021 to 36.3 billion tons, their highest ever level, as the world economy rebounded from the pandemic and pivoted towards new ways of working. 
 
All of this begs the question, could COVID help usher in an era of working greener and more sustainable? 
 
What We Learned 
Our pandemic experience taught us that many, though admittedly not all, jobs can be performed successfully utilizing more flexible schedules and working locales. Whether it’s fully, a hybrid model with time spent in office and working remote, a 4-day workweek, or any number of other situationships, we learned that not only can flexible work work, employees are craving the ability to move away from traditional working models.  

In ManpowerGroup’s recent report, The Great Realization:  A Look at the 2022 Labor Landscape, we explored the  Reinvention of Work by Workers – Flexibility, Location, and Purpose. The top three most important work flexibility factors cited were: