The Telework Association
have joined forces with the RAC Foundation to raise the profile of
teleworking as a means to reduce the costs, pollution and inefficiency
of commuting.
The campaign highlights many of the costs we have come
to take for granted in travel to work. The example is put forward of "Didcot
Manager" who commutes into London every day. Out of his £26k annual
salary he spends nearly £4k on rail and underground travel, plus £2,
700 on car travel and parking - and he adds 17.5 hours to his working
week.
“Someone in this position might be better off, work
fewer hours, be healthier and have a better quality of life by taking
a lower paid job closer to home,” commented Alan Denbigh, executive
director of the Telework Association.
These and other costs - including to the environment
and to quality of life - are outlined in the campaign.
The possibilities of reducing travel through
teleworking are put forward, with figures based on research
commissioned by the RAC Foundation, Motors and Modems Revisited,
in 2001. The research, conducted by NERA, predicts a 15% cut in
commuter traffic by the year 2020 through teleworking, and similar
savings in business, shopping and leisure travel, and freight
movements due to new technologies.
Bumper stickers
The campaign encourages teleworkers to make bumper
stickers to get the message across. Amongst the suggested one-liners
are:
-
There's no base like home
-
Bring the work to the worker
-
Teleworkers do it anywhere
-
Piss your kids off: work at home!
According to Edmund King, executive director of the
RAC Foundation:
"If each employee could work from home just one day
per week we would see a twenty per cent cut in traffic, equivalent
to removing the school run. Today's technology is better and cheaper
so more employees have the chance to work some of the time from
home."
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