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At last,
the contents of Aardvark's "million-dollar ideas" notebook
are revealed for all to see!
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It's days like today that make me so glad I work from home.
Even though I rose well before sunrise (and not that much after midnight)
to a bitterly cold day, my total commute time from bathroom to office
was about 8 seconds -- and I didn't even have to reach for an overcoat.
Now I'm happily reclined in my little swivel-chair, with my sock-clad
feet resting on a nice warm hot-water bottle and the fans from several PCs
blowing warmed air through the room.
If just half those people who work in jobs where they also could work
from home actually did so -- how much power would we be saving I wonder?
The small bulb in my office is the only light on in the entire house and
my PCs are also my heaters. The total electricity consumption of my working
environment is a mere 350 watts.
If you're in an office right now -- look around and see if you can work
out just how many watts are currently being spent on keeping you warm
and productive -- you might be shocked (no pun intended).
So, in the face of a looming energy crisis, are responsible employers
organising staff so that those who can, are working from home?
Somehow I doubt it. But -- if I'm wrong, and you're part of a "work at
home to save power" scheme then please let me know!
It strikes me that if the government and power companies had half a brain
between them then they'd be considering teleworking as a sensible
recommendation as a way of reducing electricity consumption during this
period of low lake-levels and bad weather.
Of course there are also huge environmental, productivity and lifestyle
benefits associated with teleworking too.
I contributed nothing to air-pollution or the greenhouse effect during my
eight second commute this morning. Not having to spend 30 minutes or more
in a car or on a bus just to get to my place of work also meant that (including
the effects of a commute home) I'm able to get an extra hour or two's work
done each day -- or have an extra hour or two to spend with friends or family.
Of course some people say they would hate to telework because sitting
at home alone would deprive them of social interaction. The strange thing
is that when I'm working I'm usually too busy to stop and chat with those
around me -- so maybe those people aren't too productive anyway.
Maybe we need more "work hard, play hard" people in our workforce? People
who spend the day head-down, bum-up and leave their socialising until
after they've finished work?
Of course I also realise that there are only a small number of job-types
that can be easily fitted into the teleworking model -- but why aren't
we taking more advantage of this productivity-boosting, power-saving,
environmentally friendly way to work?
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