Teleworking in Paradise

Teleworking in Paradise Special to DOTs: Casey Ambrose, DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife

Compared to other first world countries, American workplaces employ notoriously strict policies when it comes to allowing flexible working conditions.

That is - until COVID-19 forced everything to change, including how we work.

As workers learned to use telecommuting platforms and restore government operations, the benefits of this new system became obvious.

Many workplaces are now reporting increased productivity, higher employee morale, and huge savings on office maintenance and running costs.

Additionally, there are clear climate benefits to allowing people to work from home. This has us thinking, why return to the old “normal” when we could achieve a better normal?

Sources around the world tell us emissions (GHGs) have plummeted since the pandemic began.

In the US, emissions have fallen by an estimated 8% (17% globally).

Unsurprisingly, this is large part due to the lack of commuters heading to and from work.

But what will happen when businesses start to reopen?

The pandemic has shown us that the normal work week can be something different entirely, and that Americans do not necessarily need to be in the office five days a week. It is time to think about how to avoid returning to the old, antiquated system.

A better normal means more flexibility for workers, greener transportation options, and smarter urban design.

Honolulu ranks 9th worst in the country for urban congestion.

Maybe in a better normal, we would not spend hours of precious free time commuting, and instead use telework to maximize our time spent enjoying all that our beautiful state has to offer.

Maybe in a better normal, we would design our cities to benefit people, not cars.

Honolulu also has an enormous amount of unused parking space.

During peak hours, the average occupancy rate is only 71%. This is valuable space that could be utilized for housing, businesses, and pedestrians, rather than single operator vehicles.

Maybe in a better normal, telework will allow us to save money, increase wellbeing, productivity, stay healthy and become cutting edge. If the US were to embrace telecommuting, it could help save over $650 billion a year, would reduce oil consumption by 280 million barrels per year, and reduce emissions by the equivalent of removing 9 million cars from roads.

And so, it is time to consider what a return to

See TELEWORKING on page 12