This project aimed to identify the benefits, risks and challenges of the increase in the adoption of work-from-home (WFH) and telework across Canada with a focus on environmental, social and economic impacts specifically. Leveraging multiple funding programs, this project connected municipal employees and the public to timely and relevant information on changing community landscapes and habits due to a shift to WFH and telework. It also identified the associated emissions impacts from the increase in WFH and created a deeper and more accurate representation of GHG impacts. Furthermore, it created concrete and substantiated guides to aid in the future adoption of more WFH programs.

The project effectively addressed the key outcomes outlined in the initial proposal in the following ways:

Increased understanding of remote work adoption & best practices:
The Community Impact Analysis component explored the adoption rate of telework within businesses, the development of telework policies and barriers to adoption.

Information from 13 diverse organizations representing 33,000 employees (6%) of Edmonton’s labour force was gathered to reveal evolving trends in remote work policies, policy consistency and attitudes toward reducing office space. This addressed the initial proposal's concern about the lack of sufficient, timely, community-level data on telework.

GHG Emissions Reduction Calculations:
The project conducted an analysis of the impact of telework on emissions, specifically commuting patterns and related GHG emissions. Findings indicate a significant potential reduction of approximately 1.1 tCO2e annually per employee- a roughly 40% reduction, providing evidence of the environmental benefits of telework.

Integration into Climate Action Plans:
The project collaborated with stakeholders from the Corporate Community Climate Leaders Program (CCLP) to integrate telework into climate action and ESG plans. While internal challenges (CCLP) led to a change in project scope, this opportunity made strong recommendations on how businesses could officially integrate telework into climate action and ESG plans, ensure reduction in GHG emissions, and long-term systemic impacts are recognized, recorded and measured.

Knowledge Sharing & Transfer:
Results generated are designed to be circulated, including the Municipal Working Group, supporting the scalable impact of the initiative by providing valuable benchmarks and strategies to Canadian communities. The project leverages complementary website infrastructure (www.albertatelework.ca) and established dissemination pathways.

Moving forward, it is important to note the role of remote work in achieving emission reduction goals aligned with climate targets. Stressing benefits for businesses, such as cost reduction, talent access and social responsibility integration and addressing disparities in remote work access is essential. To effectively address the challenge, ongoing evaluation mechanisms must be implemented to measure the impact of remote work on climate action targets, emphasizing monitoring, evaluation, and robust emissions accounting.

Future opportunities lie in equity research, specifically in understanding and mitigating disparities related to businesses in the energy transition. Advocating for supportive policies, like affordable childcare and family leave, is crucial for promoting equity and inclusion. The next steps involve disseminating information, focusing on emissions accounting (scope 1, 2, 3) and continuing equity research.