Along with the nation’s Presidential campaign, it is one of the biggest stories of the summer. You guessed it…it’s the rising cost of gas. And there appears to be no end in sight. Of course this situation is beginning to have an effect on the workplace. Telework Exchange, a public-private partnership that promotes telecommuting, suggests that if everyone who could telecommute worked from home twice weekly, the country could save 9.7 billion gallons of gas and $38.2 billion a year.
And they have the statistics to back up their claim. According to a survey they commissioned, each year the “average” working American spends $2,052 annually on gas and 264 hours, or 11 days, commuting. While 92 percent of their survey respondents believe they could do their jobs from home, only 34 percent reported that they actually telecommute.
TASC has a long-standing policy of encouraging telecommuting. In fact, 58 of our employees, or almost 20 percent, telecommute every day! Besides benefiting our environment, this telecommuting has a desired domino effect. It saves gasoline and reduces the need for larger buildings, and of course smaller buildings use less energy for heating, cooling, and lighting. Controlling costs like this allows us to hold the line on our administrative fees.
Doing the right thing for our environment is now a part of our daily lives. At TASC we encourage Clients to access any of the numerous green alternatives available for doing business transactions with us. Clients who already conduct work on-line are saving a forest of paper. I’m not exaggerating about this negative domino effect. Just consider this scenario. The average communication requires three pieces of paper along with an envelope. Now factor in the delivery costs for postal vehicles. Add in the expense of recycling the paper after it has been used. Add this all up and it’s easy to see costs accumulating quickly. Keep in mind that these are costs to the environment and to the bottom line.
TASC already offers our Clients direct deposit options. Even better, our debit card is a handy way to cover transactions and reimbursements. In the months and years to come we will continue to look for opportunities to go green. Every little bit helps.
TASC CEO Blog 