It's Easy Being Green: Benefits of Technology-Enabled Work

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2013

Abstract

In this chapter we discuss the costs and benefits of two recent applications of the internet to traditional human resource practices: pre-employment assessments and organizational surveys (see Behrend and Foster Thompson, this book, for a more general review of the application of technology and environmental sustainability). We also examine the broader context by considering the environmental impact of telecommuting. An analysis of telecommuting is informative because it illustrates the complexity involved in disentangling resource use. Ultimately, we show that the internet can save natural resources and lower pollution, but it also redistributes and masks its carbon footprint rather than eliminating it altogether.

Department

Psychology

Publication Title

Green Organizations: Driving Change with I-O Psychology

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