As federal public servants fight office mandate, new study finds remote work has climate benefits

A new report based on a large survey of federal public servants suggests remote work is associated with lower emissions – a finding that comes as workers decry a policy that requires them to be in the office more often.
The analysis by Carleton University researchers, based on a survey of about 1,500 federal employees, suggests emissions associated with fully remote work in the National Capital Region are about 25 per cent lower than those linked to full-time office work.
Remote workers in Quebec contribute even fewer emissions, the study finds, thanks largely to greener homes heated by electric baseboards rather than natural gas, and the province’s virtually all-renewable energy grid.
Researchers found each additional weekday a hybrid employee in the National Capital Region works remotely is associated with annual emissions reductions between about 235 to 350 kilograms of carbon emissions, roughly equivalent to burning up to 150 litres of gasoline.
Those savings are largely attributed to lower transportation emissions from commuting and an assumed reduction in the federal government’s office space.
A major public-sector union was quick to laud the results, which co-author and PhD candidate Farzam Sepanta says underscore the sustainability of remote work.
Sepanta says, however, that the survey does not consider long-term implications – such as whether more remote work could prompt people to move further away from office-concentrated urban centres, possibly leading to larger homes or longer commutes on office days.
The Treasury Board Secretariat says the survey of its own department and other employees offers helpful baseline information about emissions, as well as recommendations in several areas relating to “greening” transportation and office space.
In a written statement, Public Service Alliance of Canada National President Sharon DeSousa calls the study “eye-opening,” and suggests the government is “squandering” a chance to build a modern workforce that “paves the way to a sustainable future.”
The union representing public servants has been fighting against a May mandate ordering federal employees to work three days in office, up from two.
Sepanta says the survey only reflects emissions, and makes no findings about how remote work could affect other facets of work, from organizational culture to client expectations.