If you’re going into work today, you must not have gotten the memo.
Today, many City of Austin employees and employees from some local business are partaking in Austin’s first “Work from Home Day." It's a citywide initiative to reduce the environmental impact of thousands of people driving to work.
Employees are encouraged to stay at home and work via telecommuting. The hope is to show how advances in technology can make more teleworking possible.
The Austin City Council passed the “Work from Home Day” initiative in December. The pilot program is organized by Social Good Summit Austin. St. Edward’s University, Austin Community College and Dell Inc. are all participating in the program with the city.
Of course, not all city employees get to participate. For example, public safety employees will not be staying home. The employees who do have to go in to work today are encouraged to use alternative transportation options.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of employees who work from home is on the rise. In 1997, 4.8 percent of people worked exclusively at home. In 2010, that number had risen to 6.6 percent.
