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> Meanwhile, the firm saw a fall in costs, with 23.1% less electricity used and 58.7% fewer pages printed over the period. The 23.1% figure makes intuitive sen

> Meanwhile, the firm saw a fall in costs, with 23.1% less electricity used and 58.7% fewer pages printed over the period. The 23.1% figure makes intuitive sense; the 58.7% figure seems astronomical. Why would employees being out 1/5 days lead to fewer than half the number of pages being printed?

plmu 7y ago
Shorter and less meetings were mentioned. Maybe they also included more efficient meetings, and teaching employees to not print stacks of paper to prepare or use in meetings anymore. Some details will be missing from the article.
_ZeD_ 7y ago
less time wasted in meetings with printed presentations?
radicalbyte 7y ago
They're probably being forced into using email more because people will not all have the same free day so handing printed memo's and attached documents doesn't really work.
- Zenst 7y ago
  That does make sense and the only comparison I'm aware of would be a remote worker who you are just not going to start sending printed pages or faxes etc compared to digital forms, and in those case will often see closer to 100% reduction (alas some things need physical signatures).
  - radicalbyte 7y ago
    I'm speaking from experience in UK/Sweden vs what I see in The Netherlands. In some of the large organizations I've worked at it was the culture to distribute anything "official" - draft documents, meeting notes, presentations for meetings etc - in printed forms to a surprisingly large number of people. Since I moved to mainland Europe - where a four-day working week is very much the norm for people with kids in high skill jobs - I have yet to encounter this practice. Technology might also be playing a roll here, but large organizations have this tendency to fight any kind of change tooth and nail, it only seems to happen when it is forced.
pjc50 7y ago
Elimination of "makework"? If you're trying to fill time by reviewing a document, it's better to print it off and go through it with a highlighter, spread pages across your desk etc. That achieves the goal of looking like work.
kojus 7y ago
I've heard Japan still relies a lot on faxes rather than emails, and I wouldn't be surprised if a four-day workweek in the West at an average IT corporation would result in 50% fewer emails, as a lot of them are superfluous. It seems like reducing work hours is the most effective way to combat climate change.

plmu 7y ago

Shorter and less meetings were mentioned. Maybe they also included more efficient meetings, and teaching employees to not print stacks of paper to prepare or use in meetings anymore. Some details will be missing from the article.

_ZeD_ 7y ago

less time wasted in meetings with printed presentations?

radicalbyte 7y ago

They're probably being forced into using email more because people will not all have the same free day so handing printed memo's and attached documents doesn't really work.

Zenst 7y ago
That does make sense and the only comparison I'm aware of would be a remote worker who you are just not going to start sending printed pages or faxes etc compared to digital forms, and in those case will often see closer to 100% reduction (alas some things need physical signatures).
- radicalbyte 7y ago
  I'm speaking from experience in UK/Sweden vs what I see in The Netherlands. In some of the large organizations I've worked at it was the culture to distribute anything "official" - draft documents, meeting notes, presentations for meetings etc - in printed forms to a surprisingly large number of people. Since I moved to mainland Europe - where a four-day working week is very much the norm for people with kids in high skill jobs - I have yet to encounter this practice. Technology might also be playing a roll here, but large organizations have this tendency to fight any kind of change tooth and nail, it only seems to happen when it is forced.

pjc50 7y ago

Elimination of "makework"? If you're trying to fill time by reviewing a document, it's better to print it off and go through it with a highlighter, spread pages across your desk etc. That achieves the goal of looking like work.

kojus 7y ago

I've heard Japan still relies a lot on faxes rather than emails, and I wouldn't be surprised if a four-day workweek in the West at an average IT corporation would result in 50% fewer emails, as a lot of them are superfluous. It seems like reducing work hours is the most effective way to combat climate change.