Employee working patterns during the Olympics – designed to avoid traffic and disruption – have revealed practices that may enable companies to increase productivity and sustainability long-term, according to research by Global Action Plan (GAP).
Findings by GAP, an environmental charity, are that companies who took steps to help employees avoid crowded commutes and daily disruption during the Olympics have stumbled upon helpful long-term practices. Many such companies shut their offices down for one day per week, introduced flexible working hours, held more meetings online and allowed employees the option of working at home.
According to GAP, O2 Telefonica (one company to take such steps):
• Avoided 100,000 commuter miles – equivalent to driving four times around the globe;
• Saved 30 tonnes of carbon;
• Prevented 6,000 travel hours (over half this time was spent on work activities).
Additionally, 92 per cent of O2 Telefonica employees who worked from home felt they were as productive or even more so than normal, according to GAP.
O2 Telefonica now plans to implement some of these changes permanently, after benefitting from them during the Olympics.
“[C]hanging our work and travel patterns did much more than ensure we were not adversely affected by the Games”, said Bill Eyres, O2 Head of Sustainability. “We reduced the amount of miles and time our employees spent commuting, increased employee productivity and reduced the impact our business has on the environment. The business benefitted, and so did our employees who saved money and got to spend more time with their families. The benefits have convinced us to implement these changes longer term so we can work smarter, travel less and live better.”
Calling the London Olympics a “once in a lifetime opportunity to revolutionise our work and travel patterns”, Trewin Restorick, Global Action Plan’s CEO, said: “The Olympics has shown UK companies that there are far better ways of doing business… [B]usinesses were able boost productivity, cut costs and reduce the damage they cause to the environment. It’s been a win-win situation for both employers and employees.”
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
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