By Bethany Rodgers | Salt Lake City Tribune
The stereotype about working from home is that it’s a golden opportunity for employees to binge on Netflix without ever changing out of their pajamas, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox said.
Yet quite the reverse was true in a recent state pilot project, he told reporters Monday, revealing that productivity went up by more than 20% among the 136 employees who participated in the program.
“When we talk about why productivity goes up, I think a huge part of that is because those hour-long commutes are soul-sucking,” Cox said. “So you just feel better about life when you don’t have to do that every day.”
Cox and the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget announced Monday that they’ll be expanding the teleworking initiative across state government, hopefully easing building space needs, saving taxpayer dollars and reducing tailpipe pollution.
The pilot project that started in September prevented 273 pounds of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere, the Department of Administrative Services estimated. With as many as 2,555 commuting state employees eventually becoming eligible for the work-from-home option, the telework program ultimately could reduce monthly car emissions by 1,300 pounds, according to officials.
