Winter is coming: How businesses can survive the incoming gas crisis

We are in a phase of profound changes in our energy supply - not only against the background of the war in Ukraine. This crisis will occupy us in the coming winter, but also far beyond: the changes emerging with regard to climate change will also lead to all sort of energy shortages (expressed through high prices).

Against this issue, companies and the public sector are faced with the question of how energy can be saved, especially in the coming winter. The reduction of room temperature is currently being discussed, and not only in Germany.

Businesses need to find new ways to operate at a sustainable level, where energy consumption is kept to a minimum and the operating means are ecological-friendly. And while in terms of climate change it was a necessary step before the energy crisis, we can see ourselves facing an imminent need to waste less resources as we march towards a future that will hopefully rely mostly on renewable sources of energy.

But since winter is coming now, we need to find swift and adequate solutions for businesses.

Hybrid Work - The Energy Crisis Solution

One of the most productive steps companies can take to tackle the incoming winter is reducing the office space by either temporarily or permanently shutting down parts of the office space requirements. This can be achieved by introducing a hybrid work model and opening a virtual office as a replacement to the standard physical office.

A hybrid office will help business reduce costs by:

• Cutting down rent costs
• Saving energy for heating
• Reduction in travel costs and operating costs for company cars due to less commuting commuting costs

It is a very attractive financial decision as companies will save much more capital than they would need to invest to open a hybrid office. This capital can be used for business development and marketing, basically offering a strong competitive advantage in the incoming winter. Use the following calculator to see how much money you can save with a hybrid office.

However, thinking about how to save all these costs offers a perspective far beyond "getting through the winter.”

Sustainability Will Be A Vital Business Metric

A hybrid work model saves money and protects the company from the instability of the gas prices. We have no idea how the situation in Ukraine will evolve. But we do know that energy consumption will get more expensive, either through direct prices (natural gas, electricity, petrol) or through taxation of Co2 emissions. Either way, saving energy consumption will be a long term business goal.

Compared with other winters we’ve faced, we’ll now have to confront the reality of climate change and the effects of neglecting excessive consumption. Businesses that don’t implement sustainable practices will eventually lack the profits to compete with the ones that do due to expensive bills.

So it’s better to think about a future-proof hybrid work model that will bring the needed energy savings in a sustainable way. This also becomes relevant against the background of the upcoming ESG reporting requirements.

And why not adopt a hybrid working model? All the costs that are saved through the hybrid work model can be redirected to improve the business or market it. What’s even better, there’s an increasing trend in customers to look for products or services that are operated with sustainable practices, because they want to aid businesses that make efforts in tackling climate change.

So winter is coming, and it’s going to be a while until the sun will shine again. We could use this opportunity to develop new and sustainable ways of working. Because nothing can help you face a winter better than a thorough preparation.

We Need a Long-Term Solution

Similar to The Night’s Watch in the TV Show Game of Thrones, we have to predict the incoming winter and make the necessary steps to face it in the best way possible. The reality is that the energy market has changed and there’s no going back. We have to adapt our business procedures to the current and upcoming economic situation.

ivCAMPUS is the perfect solution for implementing a hybrid work model. ivCAMPUS combines the benefits of physical offices with those of remote collaboration. We digitalized office interactions to allow people to intuitively work together, socialize, and be part of the company culture just as they would in a real office. And all of this in an immersive platform that they can access from anywhere they want.

People can work together, knock on doors and have a chat, and be part of a community as they would in a physical office.

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