How Long Commutes Hurt Employees
Heavy commuting can lead to more social isolation, less exercise and unhealthy eating habits. It’s a lifestyle that can have a severe impact on a commuter, and therefore, less productivity at work.
If your employees have long commutes, there’s a good chance some of them will quit. No one likes commuting, and as much as people like work, it’s becoming a significant problem in this country for people to get there without stress.
LinkedIn reports that 85 percent of people would take a pay cut to shorten their commutes.
Staffing firm Robert Half found almost 25 percent of workers quit a job because they don’t like the commute. The rates were highest in New York City, San Francisco, Miami and Chicago, all cities with some of the highest commuting time in the country. The survey also found that 60 percent don’t feel their employers are doing something to help them with commutes.
Those feelings also create a divide between having happy and productive employees and those who are just miserable about how long it takes them to get to work every day.
>> Is Commuting the Next Health Care? Read more <<
For example, a Harvard social scientist found that for every 10 minutes someone commutes, it leads to 10 percent less social interactions during the day. That type of commuter will realistically be less likely to be an engaged employee in your workplace.
So what can your company do to help your workers bad commute? Here are 3 ideas on what some companies are doing to improve the commute for their employees.
