The Leading News & Information Service For The Facilities, Workplace & Built Environment Community

Railway Hell - It's Time To Boot The Commute

01 September 2017 | Updated 01 January 1970
 

After the recent rail disruption with more to come, Graham Bird explores the effects of a daily commute and explains how the rush-hour race can be reduced.  .

With over 24 million regular commuters making an average daily journey of 56 minutes per day - and as many as 3.4 million travelling for two hours or even longer - it’s safe to say, that many of us are subject to the perils of the daily commute. But, whilst we dutifully continue with these routine treks to and from the workplace, many of us are unaware of the true extent to which these excursions have a negative impact on our health, productivity and finances.

 

£135,871 in a lifetime

With the average UK employee spending £146 a month on commuting, the cost of this travel will amount to around £135,871 in a lifetime. Unfortunately, if you work in London it’s even worse news, as you'll be paying almost double per mile to get to work – (47p v 24p, to be exact). In fact, commuting into London is the costliest journey in the UK, with the average person spending £305 a month. This means that by retirement, a London worker could have spent almost £200,000 on their commute – the same as a two-bedroom house on the south coast.

 

No laughing matter

Then there’s the time we waste on our daily commutes. A UK worker will spend as many as 400 days of their lives commuting  - which is particularly depressing when you consider that the average person will only spend 115 days of their lives laughing!

 

Wellbeing

Whilst the financial costs and time consumption associated with commuting are concerning, the costs to physical and mental wellbeing are even more alarming. Long hours of commuting, especially by car, are associated with a number of problems. High blood pressure and musculoskeletal disorders affect our physical selves and people who have a long commute are more likely to suffer more anger and resentment at work, absenteeism, lateness and suffer from a lack of concentration. Long commutes have also been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks, flu and depression.

 

So, it’s clear long commutes are costing us and the economy a pretty penny and influencing our mental and physical health. So, what can we do to combat the commute as both individuals and employers?

Many companies are acknowledging the damage that long commutes can have and in response they have started allowing employees to work from home a few days a month, or more, to reduce the daily grind and associated stress of getting into work. Whist it may not be possible for an employee to work from home every day, one or two days per week are likely to do much more good than harm.

Many companies are also seeing the move towards flexible working practices. If some staff are unable to work from home, employers can instead consider allowing staff to arrive in work after the morning rush hour and stay a little later into the early evening. For many, a change to say, a day of 10am – 6pm or 11am – 7pm can cut many minutes, even hours of the equivalent 9-5 day in terms of commuting time. The cost of rail travel may also be reduced if employees travel outside of peak travel times.

Avoiding peak traffic times might also reduce commute time and costs or even make it easier to consider alternatives such as walking or cycling to work.

A number of companies are providing their employees with corporate gym memberships or even installing gyms in their premises. This means staff can work out immediately before or after work, or at a time within their working day. It is much easier to motivate yourself to go to the gym when it's on the doorstep of work, than it is after an hour on a cramped train getting out of London and using that time means you avoid the general rush.

So, in summary - living in a society where commuting becomes a thing of the past may be impossible. However, both employers and workers can make certain changes to promote alternative arrangements, wherever possible, to lessen the social and physical and mental impacts that long commutes to and from work can cause.

Graham Bird is a Director of workplace consultancy, Where We Work www.Wherewework.space

 

Article written by Graham Bird | Published 01 September 2017

Share



Related Articles

66% of Finance Workers Would Leave Their Firm if Required to Work in the Office Full Time

A survey from Deloitte shows that many professionals working in large US financial services institutions would look for another role if their company required them to...

 Read Full Article
Companies Gain 2 Extra Weeks of Work a Year from Hybrid Employees

On average, hybrid working employees deliver nearly two extra weeks of work a year for their employer as well as working harder and better in a hybrid...

 Read Full Article
Mace Report Finds Hybrid is Most Popular Working Style

A new report into workplace trends by Mace shows that hybrid working alongside a collaborative central office space is the most popular post-pandemic working...

 Read Full Article
Sodexo Announces Parental Leave Policy

Sodexo UK & Ireland is enhancing its maternity, adoption and paternity paid leave, as part of its ambition to offer a flexible first culture for its...

 Read Full Article
HSBC Considers New London HQ

Reports from The Sunday Times suggest that HSBC is looking to leave its global headquarters at 8 Canada Square in Canary Wharf. According to the British newspaper,...

 Read Full Article
Majority of 4 Day Work Week Pilot Companies Will Continue With Scheme

The world’s largest 4 day working week trial has published its pilot results, with 91 per cent definitely continuing or planning to continue with the...

 Read Full Article
Flexible Workspace Provider Expands Into Germany

infinitSpace will partner with German commercial real estate developer CG Elementum on two new projects. Both buildings are owned by the Gröner Group and are...

 Read Full Article
UK Government Introduces Day-One Right to Request Flexible Working

Millions of employees across the country are set to benefit from new legislation that means flexible working can be requested from the first day of employment. The...

 Read Full Article
Mitie White Paper Addresses 8 Questions Every FM Should Consider

Mitie has published a white paper which identifies the biggest challenges facing facilities managers. “Accelerating Facilities Transformation” has been...

 Read Full Article
IWFM Research Highlights Flexibility and Personalisation as the Key to the Future of the Office

New research released by IWFM and MillerKnoll has revealed that most companies remain uncertain about what their post-pandemic workplaces will look like. For the...

 Read Full Article