Do Remote Employees Count Toward Our Emissions?

Why remote work shows up in your footprint

When employees work from home, they still use energy to get business done. Laptops, Wi-Fi routers, lighting, and heating or cooling systems all create greenhouse gas emissions.

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol — the most widely used carbon accounting standard — sorts emissions into three groups:

• Scope 1: Direct emissions from sources your company owns or controls (e.g., vehicles, on-site fuel).

• Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased energy (e.g., electricity or heating for offices).

• Scope 3: All other indirect emissions, including commuting, business travel, purchased goods, and energy from remote work.
  

Remote work is essentially an alternative to commuting. Instead of emissions from the trip to the office, the impact shifts to home energy use.

Does remote work increase or decrease emissions?

For most businesses, hybrid and remote models reduce total emissions compared to traditional commuting.

• Fewer commuting miles: Less daily travel means lower Scope 3 emissions from transportation.

• Lower office energy use: Fewer people in the office means reduced heating, cooling, and lighting needs.
  

That said, remote work isn’t impact-free. Home energy use goes up, especially for heating and cooling during work hours. If your office remains fully powered while people also work remotely, emissions can overlap. The net impact depends on how the office is managed and the energy mix in your region.

A simple way to account for it

Small businesses can take a straightforward, credible approach:

1. Survey employees on how many days they work remotely and what kind of energy they use at home.

2. Apply standard factors from the GHG Protocol or national databases to estimate average energy use.

3. Stay consistent so results are comparable year to year.

4. Report transparently — note both the reduction in commuting and the increase in home energy.
   

This gives a balanced view of how hybrid policies actually affect your footprint.

Why this matters for small businesses

• Supplier requests: Large customers often ask for full Scope 3 data. Including remote work shows you’re prepared.

• Trust and transparency: Acknowledging it demonstrates accuracy and credibility.

• Positive story: Hybrid work can cut emissions overall while supporting employee satisfaction and retention.
  

What this means for your business

Yes, your remote employees count toward your footprint. Under the GHG Protocol, they’re part of Scope 3, along with commuting and business travel.

For most SMBs, hybrid work reduces overall emissions — but the only way to know for sure is to measure and report openly. Including remote work proves that your sustainability reporting is complete, consistent, and credible.

Next step: Remote work is part of your footprint, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. The SMB Sustainability Guide walks through how to handle Scope 3 in plain language.