Remote work's mixed environmental impacts: report

💭 What is the #rebound effect in remote work? 🌿 It’s when the environmental #savings from working remotely — like reduced commuting and office #energy use — are partly or fully offset by new energy demands and behaviors 📈 Remote workers often use more energy at home, invest in extra equipment, or make more non-work trips (the “time rebound effect”) since #errands can no longer be combined with commuting. Some even move farther from cities, increasing car use 💡 The rebound effect shows that remote work doesn’t automatically mean lower #emissions. Real sustainability gains depend on how we adapt our lifestyles and energy #habits 📖 These data have been taken from the deliverable 'Report on background knowledge to inform the empirical research' made by Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna / Leibniz-Institut für Raumbezogene Sozialforschung (IRS) / Paris School of Business / CoLABOR / European Creative Hubs Network and Politecnico di Milano for #REMAKING 🔗 You can find it here: https://lnkd.in/dbMdXxeR #HorizonEU #FutureOfWork #RemoteWork #HybridWork #WorkCulture #DigitalTransformation #OrganizationalChange European Commission Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Elhuyar Trinity College Dublin European Research Executive Agency (REA) Visionary Analytics Comune di Bologna EU Science, Research and Innovation R-Map project EU WinWin4WorkLife

🏙️ The “urban doom loop” might be a myth. Everyone said remote work would kill cities. (me included by the way!) Office towers empty. Subway seats vacant. Downtowns hollowed out. But new research from Frank at UNC and SMU suggests something totally different Cities didn’t die. They evolved... Here’s what the data shows: Commuter foot traffic is still way down. But visits to restaurants, bars, and entertainment hubs? Exploding. (I can personally attest to this) Cities are no longer centres of production they’ve become centres of CONSUMPTION! Remote work freed up time and people are spending that time on experiences. Dinner, concerts, yoga, culture, watching Tron Ares in IMAX (that last one was me) The office may have vanished, but the city vibe didn’t. It just shifted. So maybe the “urban doom loop” was never doom at all. Maybe it was a reset, literally a change from production to consumption... The study found that areas with more remote workers actually saw denser traffic around entertainment clusters not less. Cities adapted faster than policymakers did. 💡 My take if this study is true: Remote work didn’t destroy the city. It forced it to find a new purpose. We don’t need to bring workers back we need to bring life back. What do you think? Are we watching the collapse of cities… or their reinvention as human playgrounds? #RemoteWork #FutureOfCities #UrbanDoomLoop #WFH #RemoteWorkRevolution #FutureOfWork

🌍 How Remote Work Helps Our Planet — Especially in the IT Sector 💻 As the IT industry continues to evolve, remote work has emerged not just as a productivity booster, but also as a quiet revolution for the environment. While we often discuss flexibility, work-life balance, and efficiency, the ecological benefits of working from home deserve equal attention. 🌱 Here are some ways remote work contributes to a greener planet: 1. 🚗 Reduced Carbon Emissions: With fewer daily commutes, we significantly cut down on vehicular pollution and fossil fuel consumption. Every skipped car ride counts towards cleaner air and a smaller carbon footprint. 2. 🏢 Lower Energy Consumption: Fewer employees in offices mean reduced electricity usage — less air conditioning, lighting, and server room cooling. IT companies can operate leaner data centers and smaller workspaces, saving substantial energy. 3. 🌳 Less Urban Congestion: Remote work reduces traffic density and eases the pressure on public transport systems. This indirectly lowers urban noise pollution and helps cities breathe easier. 4. ♻️ Digital Transformation Over Physical Waste: With teams collaborating digitally, we rely less on printed reports, paperwork, and physical resources. The IT sector’s embrace of cloud systems and digital communication minimizes material waste. 5. 🌦️ Sustainable Lifestyle Choices: Working remotely allows professionals to adopt eco-friendly habits — home gardening, using solar power, sustainable cooking, and reduced use of plastic — all while maintaining productivity. In essence, remote work in the IT industry is not just a modern way to work — it’s a sustainable one. 🌿 Let’s continue to innovate, code, and collaborate responsibly — for a smarter business and a healthier planet. 🌏💡 #Sustainability #RemoteWork #GreenIT #WorkFromHome #ClimateAction #DigitalTransformation

📰 Home office use stays strong in Germany – despite a slight decline since 2021    📊 According to the latest #Microcensus 2024, 22.7% of employees worked from home at least once over four weeks – only 0.7% less than the peak of 2021!   Although the percentage has dropped slightly on average since the later days of the pandemic in 2021, remote work appears to be well-nested in most German States, where this new form of work impacts all aspects of life on a daily basis, and it is growing in Eastern Germany.   #Bavaria (#Bayern) recorded a home office rate of 24.5%, compared to 35.6% in the city/state of #Hamburg or 10.9% in Sachsen-Anhalt.   🇩🇪 The German Case Study of #WinWin4WorkLife delves deeper into the matter of remote work in the state of Bavaria, focusing on the #Munich Metropolitan Area. This area, including cities like #Augsburg, #Ingolstadt, #Landshut and #Rosenheim, is known for its thriving industries attracting top-notch talent and highly skilled workers. But there is a catch – it is also one of Germany’s priciest places to rent a new home.   This led to a city-flight to the #suburbs and neighboring regions, where many workers found cheaper housing. But it also means an increase in daily commute, with overcrowded trains and more emissions as a result. Could remote work be the answer here?   The German Case Study intends to map this impact and is well underway, with the Employer study finished and the Employee study starting soon. Read the full #article of Statistikamt Nord here: https://lnkd.in/enbNCPRu Graphic courtesy of Statistikamt Nord #WW4WL #remotework #homeoffice #Germany Technical University of Munich #motusdatacollectionplatform hbits #cityflight R-Map project EU Remaking_eu

🏠 33% of French workers now telecommute, transforming housing needs and reshaping cities. The rise of remote work is driving a profound shift in the French real estate market. Residents increasingly prioritize dedicated workspaces, digital connectivity, and access to nature when searching for homes. This trend is decentralizing cities and revitalizing suburbs. Key impacts of telework on housing: Demand for properties with home offices Aspiration for green spaces and tranquility Reduced commutes and optimized living areas 💡 Pro tip: Integrate modular workspaces and high-speed internet to make your rentals telework-friendly. How is remote work changing your local housing market? 👇 At Hexuvium, we help property managers adapt to evolving renter needs in the telework era. Discover more: www.hexuvium.com #RemoteWork #HousingMarket #PropertyManagement #Hexuvium

Spatial Zoning for Remote Work in Multi-Family Dwellings The research investigates how the spatial design of multi-family housing can enhance satisfaction and well-being by balancing domestic life and remote work. Guided by Habraken’s floor plan representation method and Gifford’s Person–Environment Fit Theory, the study explores how spatial arrangements can support household routines while integrating workspace needs. A mixed-methods approach combines quantitative surveys using the Environmental Satisfaction Scale (ESS) with qualitative interviews conducted in Toronto and Montreal. Findings show that locating workspaces near unit entrances and away from main family areas reduces disruption and improves environmental satisfaction for non-working residents. These results propose evidence-based strategies for flexible, inclusive housing that accommodates remote work without compromising the comfort and well-being of other household members.

Where work really happens — and why it matters. In “The Geography of Work: Office, Home, Travel, and the Hybrid Future,” Curianic explores how our surroundings now shape productivity, identity, and economic balance. From the discipline challenges of remote work to the financial realities of hybrid systems — and the quiet return of business travel — this is the most complete guide yet to understanding where work truly works best. Read the full feature → https://lnkd.in/eRE_2FsX #FutureOfWork #HybridWork #RemoteWork #OfficeLife #BusinessTravel #Productivity #CareerPsychology #WorkplaceTrends #Leadership #GlobalWorkforce #Curianic

Workplace Charging: The Hidden Power of Your Parking Lot Here are some key highlights from our recent webinar on workplace charging and why office parking matters more than you think. 💡 Every day, employees park for 8–10 hours, and if those vehicles are electric, that’s prime charging time. Since employee commute can account for nearly 15–20% of an enterprise’s carbon footprint, workplace charging becomes one of the fastest ways to reduce emissions. Employees are already ready for EV adoption, they just need reliable charging at work. With the right planning, smart infrastructure, clear policies, and measurable reporting, parking spaces can become real sustainability assets. Bolt.Earth helps enterprises make workplace charging actually work. Stay tuned for more such informative sessions coming soon. #BoltEarth #WebinarHighlights #Webinar #EVCharging #WorkplaceCharging #CarbonFootprint #RangeAnxiety #OfficeParking #EVChargers #EVPolicy

”You have to EARN the commute” I heard this phrase recently and it stuck with me. It sums up exactly where we are with hybrid work. If you expect people to travel into an office or a coworking space, it has to be worth their time. The space, the people, the purpose, all of it has to give them something they can’t get at home. Good coffee and fast Wi-Fi aren’t enough. Connection, collaboration, energy, and belonging are what make the commute worthwhile. If we want people back together in spaces, we need to earn it. #coworking #flexiblework #hybridwork #futureofwork

❔ Why should be care about Remote Work? 💡 In this episode of how remote work affects society, where members of the #REMAKING project consortium give their views on this topic, Ivana Lukes Rybanska (Prague University of Economics and Business) and Giulio Buciuni (Trinity College Dublin) share their views on how remote work is transforming the world of work 🌍 Ivana highlights that #remotework reflects a deeper shift in work relations and business models — shaping how we’ll work and live in the #future 🏙️ Giulio notes that while many return to the #office, the five-day office week is gone. The future is #hybrid — redefining how labor and #collaboration are organized 🚀 At #REMAKING, we explore how these changes affect society and what they mean for the future of work 🔗 You can watch more #videos like this one, and all those related to the #REMAKING project, on our YouTube channel https://lnkd.in/da5UEzBy #HorizonEU #FutureOfWork #RemoteWork #HybridWork #WorkCulture #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #Leadership #OrganizationalChange #HorizonEurope #REMAKINGProject #WorkTrends #EmployeeExperience #WorkplaceInnovation #Collaboration #WorkLifeBalance European Commission Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Elhuyar Trinity College Dublin Prague University of Economics and Business European Research Executive Agency (REA) Visionary Analytics WinWin4WorkLife Leibniz-Institut für Raumbezogene Sozialforschung (IRS) Comune di Bologna Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna EU Science, Research and Innovation European Creative Hubs Network Paris School of Business