Not that long ago, the term "going green" conjured up thoughts of radical environmentalists going to extremes to save a forest in the name of "The Movement." Today, however, "going green" means so much more. As individual awareness has grown regarding how behavior affects greenhouse gas emissions or hurts local water supply; home recycling and home energy efficiency has grown from energy efficient light bulbs to entire energy efficiency home conversions.
As an extension of this personal environmental impact awareness, businesses are giving serious thought to how they can "go green" while continuing to make their businesses more efficient. Beyond in-office recycling and re-using coffee cups, companies are searching for solutions that provide the right combination of savings and benefits for both employer and employee, while enabling employers to give some intangible benefits to employees during tight economic times. One such solution is phone and web conferencing.
Phone and web conferencing by companies allows employees to hold virtual meetings from their own offices. It gives them instant access to co-workers, customers and clients without having to travel, thereby eliminating the environmental impact while lowering company costs. When you consider that a roundtrip flight from New York to Los Angeles emits 2.46 metric tons of CO2 -- the greenhouse gas that goes directly into the most sensitive portion of our atmosphere - you realize how much you can make a difference by simply introducing phone and web conferencing into your company culture. [1]
Phone and web conferencing also allows individuals to reduce personal stress and increase productivity by giving them the option to work from home on one or more days a week. Being able to meet virtually wherever they are located means they can still hold impromptu meetings or recurring ones with ease. Phone or web conferencing enables individuals to use their time more efficiently - scheduling and keeping other appointments becomes easier. Additionally, telecommuting using phone and web conferencing equates to cost savings on vehicle use -- less wear and tear on vehicles. The result of using phone and web conferencing is that employees strengthen the work-life balance and, ultimately, companies are able to hire and retain happier, more productive workers.
Environmentally speaking, encouraging staff to use phone and web conferencing has many benefits. Already 12 million employees and another 16 million self-employed people work at home at least one day a month [1]. Collectively, these home-based workers now save the equivalent of 24% of Gulf oil imports and avoid producing 33 million metric tons greenhouse gases a year [1]. Also, according to a report released in April 2008 by the American Electronics Association, if every U.S. worker telecommuted 1.6 days per week, an estimated 1.35 billion gallons of gasoline could be conserved annually.
The positive results that phone and web conferencing contribute to the environment and make in an employee's life is something that any company can feel good about. What's more, shareholders, clients, employees and investors, will feel confident supporting a company that employs such forward thinking, cost efficient and eco-friendly policies.
[1]- American Electronics Association Report- April 2008
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