Our energy use is a gigantic problem. So large that even President Bush noticed it. And it's not just the cost of oil, but how the money spent on it funds terrorism and limits our options in the Middle East.
There are a lot of things we can do to address this in the future from alternative energy sources to other sources of oil such as oil shale and soybeans. And we should implement these alternatives that work as quickly as possible.
But all of those things take time. And we have a problem today. But there is something we could do today that would reduce energy consumption immediately, and make businesses more efficient at the same time. One of those lovely win-win scenarios.
Tons of research has shown that most people are more productive when working from home. And I have found this to be true. I have managed at a number of start-ups and have always encouraged employees to work at home, purchasing two computers for programmers (who do not have laptops), one for home. And for those with laptops telling them they can have personal stuff on their computer so they take their laptop home.
And without exception this has led to increased productivity. In some cases I would have to beg people to try and they would agree to 1 day/week. Then they would go to 2 days. And a month later they would be sold, both in terms of productivity and they are happier because they have a lot more flexibility between work and personal life.
In the past I've never minded that most companies want their employees in the office - I figured as a startup we always wanted any competitive advantage we could get. So I like the fact that our competitors have everyone work in an office - it helps us. But the energy oil problem is more important than our company. (And I figure we have a better product anyways.)
So here is my proposal. That the government encourage (not force) companies to switch to telecommuting where ever possible. The biggest obstacle to this is managers who figure if they don't see you at work, you aren't working. Companies need to pound into these dinosaurs that the true measure is productivity, not hours with your butt in a chair. And the energy crisis is too critical to allow inept management to exaberate it.
Now not everyone can telecommute. The soldiers in Iraq can't. Police, firemen, and emergency room personnel definitely need to be on-site. But even in these operations, why do dispatchers or medical billing personnel have to go to the office?
And there are the even more obvious jobs. Office buildings are full of people who sit in a cubicle and occasionally are in a meeting with others at their office. For most jobs like this you wouldn't even know if the person was working from home or their cubicle. They could come in at most 1 or 2 days a week. Or invest in web cams and meetings can all be remote too.
Potentially this could make a significant difference in the price and availability of oil. If we dropped usage in this country by 10%, that would mean an excess of oil on the world market. And that excess would lead to significant price drops. We don't need to eliminate oil usage, we just need to reduce it enough that there is a surplus. Because with a surplus comes price reductions.
So there you go. If businesses got behind this idea, we could see the payoff starting in a couple of weeks. And unlike virtually every other idea, this one saves businesses money by making them more productive.
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