ALC - edenred

Rising living expenses have priced workers out of living near where they work in many parts of the United States.
Generation Z workers, those born in the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, are one of the most age groups most affected by this trend. More than 40 percent of all Generation Z workers cannot afford to live near their jobs, according to Randstad US and Apartment Guide survey.
The survey explored how rising living expenses influence where and how people live and work in the US. And the survey looked at the impact those trends are having on their quality of life. Younger workers were most impacted.

Longer commutes spell trouble for anyone who has to do them daily. But researchers are now finding that these long commutes are keeping some residents from gaining employment and employers from filling jobs.

Have you had a lot of turnover in the office in the last couple of years?
We have a good guess as to why — actually seven of them.
PayScale conducted a survey of Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers to see why they quit. Here are the Top 7 reasons employees quit their jobs:

Are you a super commuter or do you read your morning work emails in your pajamas while having breakfast in your home office?
It might not be long before those situations define our work life. The trends in the commuting landscape are pointing that workers will be at opposite ends of the commuting spectrum in the years ahead. There very well could come a day when we either have a long commute to work or never leave “the office.”

Do you have work-life balance? Probably not.
The United States trends very poorly when compared to other countries when it comes to having a life outside of work. The average American spends 40 percent of their day dedicated to their job. That number is on top of the average American working more than 50 hours per week. These stats, compiled for OCED’s “How’s Life” survey, put the USA squarely outside the Top 25 countries in the index.

Think you have a long commute? Try living in Beijing, China. The average one-way commute is 52 minutes!
It’s not much better in some lesser populated cities. In Shanghai, the average one-way commute is 51 minutes. In Guangzhou, it’s 46 minutes. The average one-way commute for everyone living in a China city is 28 minutes.
To put these numbers in perspective, New Yorkers have extremely long commutes and commute about 48 minutes each day.

Companies can play an important role in helping their employees with the commute. The extra investment can pay off by having happy and engaged employees while increasing productivity.

Update May 26, 2023:
We would like to inform you of a recent decision made by Lyft and Uber, which is beyond our control. In April 2023, Lyft announced the discontinuation of their shared rides program called Lyft Shared. Additionally, Uber’s shared rides program, UberX Shared, currently does not support tax-free commuter benefits.

It’s no secret ride-hailing is popular to get around now. More than a third of Americans have used ride-hailing services like Uber. And more than 20 percent say they use a ridesharing  service every month. Since it’s growing at a fast rate, people often ask,  “Does Uber qualify for commuter benefits?

With commute times increasing across the country, the negative impact on commuters is getting worse. But there are several creative ways government and business can help commuters.
Here are 3 ways to help relieve the stress of commuters.

Municipal government action on commuter benefits ordinances is increasing. But what states require commuter benefits you ask? Just one: New Jersey.