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June 22, 2025

Want to save the planet? Make them work from home, you moron!

Want to save the planet? Make them work from home, you moron!

by Simone Renzi / June 22, 2025
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This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)

I am coming back to talk about Smart Working again. I had already devoted an article to this topic but today a post on LinkedIn prompted me to take a clear position by motivating it from an environmental point of view.

Removable and non-removable work

The first thought we need to make about smart working even before we can talk about figures is to understand (and estimate) which jobs are actually removable; because it is obvious that there are jobs where smart working is not feasible… Bartenders, Assemblers, Warehousemen, Maintenance Technicians, Nurses, Physiotherapists, OSS, Bricklayers, Electricians, etc.

It is clear that in such contexts, where presence is a key element in being able to conduct business there is little that can be done.

However, there is a long line of professions in which office presence is not only unnecessary (at least slavishly), but produces a number of objective “cons” that impact the worker’s mental energy, time, and even the environmental ecosystem.

Developers, Data Scientists, Cybersecurity Experts, Copywriters, Graphic Designers, SMMs, Video editors, Accountants, Tax accountants, PMs, Recruiters, Corporate Consolers, Online Trainers, Professional Coaches, Editors, CRM Specialists, SEO Specialists, Customer Service Specialists, Design Engineers, Analysts, Researchers, etc. etc.

The list is endless… These are all professions that can easily be done remotely.

Statistical data

To date, according to the most recent data, about 3.5 million Italians do at least part of their work in agile mode. But the true potential is much larger. Authoritative studies estimate that between 9 and 11 million workers, or 35 to 45 percent of the Italian workforce, have professions that are compatible with smart working, at least for a few days a week. Unfortunately, these workers, often due to cultural or bureaucratic rigidity, are still forced to travel dozens of kilometers a day to be in front of a computer that they could suare from home.

Huge environmental impact

According to an ENEA estimate (based on real data from cities such as Rome, Bologna, and Turin), each day of smart working avoids about 6 kg of CO2 per person.

Translated into annual terms (assuming 100-120 smart days per year), they imply about 600kg of avoided emissions for each agile worker.

Multiply this figure by the number of potentially removable workers (9-11 million): we get savings ranging from 5.4 to 6.5 million tons of CO2 per year.
It is a concrete, measurable contribution, comparable to the positive impact of a national reforestation plan.

Indirect environmental impact: benefits for those who cannot do smart working

Here is the decisive point: less commuting also means less traffic. And less traffic also means that those who necessarily have to move by motor vehicles: doctors, workers, technicians and all the categories already seen, will do so faster, consuming less fuel and consequently polluting less.

A practical example?
A truck that takes 40 minutes to drive through a city during rush hour in congested conditions consumes up to 40 percent more diesel fuel than the same route traveled in 20 minutes in free-flowing traffic.
The same reasoning applies to slowed or queued cars, motorcycles and public transportation.

So every smart worker also indirectly helps those who cannot, contributing to a second wave of CO2 reduction.

Less stress equals more clarity

In addition to the environment, there is also personal well-being. Each smart worker saves an average of 150 hours per year in commuting. This means more time to sleep, less fatigue while driving, less exposure to urban pollutants, and more peace of mind; and this is also true for those who stay on the road but are in smoother, less aggressive traffic.

A breath of fresh air for the pockets as well

Those who work in attendance know this: going to the office comes at a cost, and not just in terms of effort. The math is soon done. Fuel, vehicle wear and tear, tolls, parking, meals out, coffee, small daily expenses, and the sum can easily exceed 3,000 euros a year. Even if you reduce your on-site presence to two or three days a week, you can save at least half that amount without sacrificing anything of your efficiency or professionalism, and this is even more true for those who live out of town.

For those who are out, traffic can last an hour or more, and in those cases smart working is not a “plus,” it is a logistical and economic survival measure.

What about the smart working scoundrels? Yes, there are but you catch them right away

Let’s face it: yes, “smart workers” do exist. Those who think smart working means lounging on the couch with the laptop open and Netflix have always been there and always will be but it is not the tool that is wrong, it is the way productivity is measured.

A worker who produces little remotely simply already did it in the office, too, only he hid it better there, between endless coffee breaks, two chats with colleagues, and a thousand useless meetings.

With smart working, on the other hand, you notice sooner and better. Delays become apparent. Missed project deadlines pile up. Deliveries slip. Emails go unanswered for hours. Production flows slow even when everything else on the team marches.
Those who work well make even more from home.
Those who work poorly from home have no more excuses.

No need for micro-controls or spy software. Just look at the results, the metrics, the timeliness. A company that works by objectives immediately notices who is performing and who is taking advantage of the situation, and can act accordingly, exactly as it would for an ineffective employee in attendance.

In short, smart working is not a free pass to work less. It is a test of professional maturity that rewards those who can handle autonomy, discipline, and trust, and, as always, those who don’t measure up will screen themselves out.

An opportunity for civilization

To think of working from home as a whim or a shortcut is a very short-sighted view. Smart working is not a benefit but a tool of civilization. It is good for the worker, good for the company, good for the city, and not least in importance, good for the environment!

Moreover, it does not penalize those who cannot adopt it; on the contrary, it also improves their lives by relieving traffic, reducing delays and decreasing emissions.

In a country struggling to reform itself, adopting smart working where possible is not a matter of fashion. It is a matter of common sense, fairness and collective responsibility.

Those who can work from home and choose to do so in earnest are not privileged, they are silent accelerators of civilization for all. Because sometimes to change the world you don’t need to do anything active, you just need to not leave home.

Simone Renzi
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