VoIP phones could help improve sustainability

Companies keen to improve their sustainability could look to VoIP phones as a way of allowing employees to seamlessly work from home.

By patching through to VoIP phones in employees' homes over a virtual private network, firms can give them their own extension number without callers being aware that they are not based in the office.

For organisations with a focus on their resource consumption, this could be an ideal way of reducing the number of people on-site - and so cutting down on electricity, gas and water use.

Dominic Wood, programme coordinator for organisational change group Groundwork, says such resources are the ideal place to start when working on sustainability commitments.

"Begin with legislative obligations, as these reduce liability and the prospect of prosecution," he says.

"Then look at other areas of the business where improvements can potentially be made."

Along with utility supplies, these 'other areas' can also include the disposal of waste and the consumption of any raw materials used.