Dive Brief:
- It may not be much of a surprise, but U.S. workers consider their daily trip to and from the office a serious productivity drain, according to a new survey from Regus, a workspace provider.
- Regus' survey of 13,340 Americans found that 38% see commuting as a "pointless, undefined time," while 30% positively hate their commute and brand it as a "waste" of precious time.
- Only a minority of employees (12%) regard commuting as profitable work time, with the majority declaring it not just a drain on work, but on personal time as well. Then again, a small minority (19%) regard their commute as personal time, as they are able to read and catch up on the latest news on their smartphone.
Dive Insight:
It seems that while employees today are expected to always be available and connected, the reality is there is a much bigger and subtler drain on productivity than overbearing smartphones — the daily commute, especially the long ones that leave workers already tired when they get to work. Savvy HR leaders looking not to let productivity slide might consider allowing employees to work closer to home at least some of the time.
Some large firms, including PwC, have opted out of large offices entirely and switched to a shared office format to encourage work flexibility and allow employees to work where is most convenient to them. Of course, remote working via a virtual workforce, otherwise known as telecommuting, has grown from 20% to 60% in the past 20 years, according to SHRM. Such arrangements are more possible now thanks to strong tech advancements.
