Arlington, Va., July 7 — The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) and the World Resources Insitute (WRI) have teamed up to produce a new guide for businesses interested in flexible "telework programs" for their workers and business operations. Entitled Gaining the Air Quality and Climate Benefit from Telework, the report provides valuable business information and tools to assess the effectiveness of telework programs. The guide is now available free of charge at EIA's website at www.eia.org/environment, at the EIA Environment Consumer Education Initiative website at www.eiae.org. The guide is also available at the World Resources Institute website http://business.wri.org/pubs_description.cfm?PubID=3134 and www.safeclimate.net, a WRI partnership with the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business.

Defined in the guide as "using information and communications technology to work at home a few days a week, engage in full-time virtual work, and to participate in meetings remotely," telework is becoming a staple of business operations in the 21st Century. In 2003, 22% of AT&T managers worked full time in a virtual office (more than doubling the number in 2001) and another 17% worked at home five or more days a month. The company estimates it saved $180 million through increased productivity, reduced real estate costs and improved employee retention and recruitment as a result of telework.

According to an EIA 2000 survey of member companies, several high-tech firms, including Apple, AT&T, Compaq (now part of HP), HP, IBM, Intel, Lockheed-Martin, Motorola, Nortel Networks, Radio Shack, Sun Microsystems, and Texas Instruments — have instituted formal telework programs. What's more, five companies — AT&T, Compaq, IBM, Nortel Networks and Texas Instruments — developed programs that use telework in lieu of some business travel.

Gaining the Air Quality and Climate Benefit from Telework notes that for many high-tech companies, telework presents several additional business benefits. Instituting telework programs can make companies good corporate neighbors and help meet local community needs to reduce traffic congestion. Telework also allows companies to learn how to account for emissions of greenhouse gases in more manageable ways. Telework can help companies gain a competitive edge by providing new communications products while reducing costs. Telework is equally useful to employees, who may view working from home as a benefit. Finally, EIA and WRI note that companies can reasonably expect telework programs to increase productivity among workers not facing office distractions, ensure business-as-usual workflow during emergencies, and lower real estate costs via office space-sharing. EIA and WRI also point out that telework makes environmental sense because it can reduce emissions three ways:

• by influencing work-oriented commuting patterns positively,
• by replacing traditional air travel with electronic travel such as e-mail, teleconferencing or videoconferencing; and,
• by reducing building and equipment energy use.

Gaining the Air Quality and Climate Benefit from Telework offers information to help businesses assess the effectiveness of telework as well. Web calculators provided by SafeClimate.net and AT&T's Telework Webguide, for example, can quickly crunch numbers to determine the "carbon footprint" of transportation and energy use in business operations, while the Telework Impact Estimation Tool, developed by the Consortium on Green Design and Manufacturing at the University of California in Berkeley, allows companies to estimate and compare costs and emission reductions of telework and non-telework company settings.

According to EIA and WRI, companies need to assess the following when considering telework:

• the miles and emissions that can be avoided by telecommuting;
• the miles and emissions that can be avoided by replacing business travel with telework; and,
• the energy and emissions that be avoided by changes in the frequency and volume of office space and equipment usage.

To download a free copy of Gaining the Air Quality and Climate Benefit from Telework, go to www.eiae.org.

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About EIA: The Electronic Industries Alliance is the leading trade organization in the U.S. for the high-tech industry. Its 2,500 member companies provide products and services ranging from microscopic electronic components to state-of-the-art defense, space and industry high-tech systems, as well as the full range of consumer electronic and telecommunications products. EIA's mission is to promote the market development and competitiveness of the U.S. high-tech industry through domestic and international policy efforts.

About WRI: The World Resources Institute, an environmental research and policy organization located in Washington, D.C., seeks solutions that protect the Earth and improve people's lives. Founded in 1982, it focuses on climate protection; sustainable enterprise; access to information; participation; and justice; and biological resources.

Contact Name: Neil Gaffney
Contact Email: ngaffney@eia.org