Back in 2016, there were more than three million workers whose commute took longer than two hours a day. The pandemic and a switch to hybrid working have changed the routine for many of us, and the latest figures from studies by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) show that average commuting times are on the up.
We all know that getting to and from work can be an inconvenience, but did you know it can actually be bad for your health?
If you’ve had to return to the office lately, you may have enjoyed the face-to-face interaction with work colleagues and the chance to leave the house after a couple of years of working from home. Those little things we took for granted before the pandemic.
But one thing you probably haven’t missed is the commute. Whether you walk, cycle, drive, or take public transport – here’s how to have a happier commute.
Before the pandemic struck, more than 3 million of us spent two or more hours on the daily commute – that’s almost three-quarters (72%) as many as this time ten years ago, according to research from the Trade Unions Congress (TUC).
At that point, the number of commuters travelling a mind-numbing three or more hours a day had risen by three-quarters (75%) from 500,000 to 800,000 over the same period. We were all clearly doing too much commuting.
That all changed over the last couple of years, as Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns meant more of us than ever had to work from home. But things are changing again as restrictions have been lifted completely and we’re all being encouraged to return to the office. And that means a return to public transport for many of us – so why not make the most of the time?
The pandemic has really messed with the nine-to-five. More people working from meant that priorities shifted during the day. Early risers could shun the commute and get straight to work on their laptops, night owls could work well past the 5pm cut off, and everyone could take some time back during other parts of the day.
But now we’re slowly starting to get back to ‘normal’ and being encouraged to get back to the office, does the commute now become part of your working day?
If you check your emails as soon as you wake up, the working day essentially kicks off before you’ve even stepped out of bed. But, if you regularly check your work emails before you clock on, whether at home or on the way to work, should this count towards your working day?
If lockdown restrictions mean you have employees working from home, you could be putting the safety of your business at risk. Cyber security experts are warning of the dangers caused by employees working remotely – is your work-from-home workforce putting your business security at risk?
After weeks of unbroken sunshine, the rain came back with a bang today – not the sort of thing anyone wants to wake up to on a Monday morning, particularly after a weekend of warm sunshine – so if you have to travel to work, and can’t avoid the morning commute, there are a few things you need to do to stay safe on the roads in wet weather and worse.
Are you fed-up of your winter morning commute? Tired of having to get up ten minutes early to de-ice the car? And sick of sitting in stationary stationary traffic or on crammed public transport with all manner of airborne viruses ready knock the stuffing out of you?
If so, it’s high time you looked at ways to avoid the morning commute.
The government has announced it is to release £400 million worth of investment to boost high-speed broadband in the UK – and that’s expected to unlock a further £1 billion of private sector investment, making life infinitely easier for telecommuters and kick-starting a work from home revolution.
The average UK commuter spends one-hour-and thirty-eight minutes travelling to and from work each day – 49 minutes there and the same back again – and is just another part of the working day for most of us.
The trouble is, the daily commute is not particularly good for your health – in fact, it could be killing you. Here are four things you may not have realised the journey to and from work is doing to your body…
How would you feel about leaving the car at home and strapping yourself into a jetpack to tackle the daily commute?
It’s a scenario straight from science fiction, but one a Chinese tech firm is looking to make science fact in the not-too-distant future – so could the Martin Jetpack really change the face of commuting forever?
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