Regus, a multinational company specializing in office space rental for businesses, surveyed 10,000 employees in 78 countries to identify the main issues related to commuting between home and work. The results are alarming but give credibility to new, more flexible ways of working (particularly teleworking) compared to the traditional office-based model.
According to the Regus study, the daily stress of French workers is partly caused by several factors linked to commuting. In fact, a French worker spends an average of 29 minutes in transit, whether by public or private transport. Worse still, for 20% of this population, the daily commute can exceed an hour and a half. These long and exhausting journeys are a source of stress and can negatively affect productivity in the workplace. So, what are the main sources of this stress?
Here are the results of the study:
- Traffic jams
- Delays and service interruptions
- Aggressive or dangerous driving
- Pollution and heat
- Lack of information provided by public transport operators
- Loud phone conversations
- Rude or even aggressive behavior from other passengers
How can we expect employees to thrive within a company when everyone, regardless of their position, must battle through such a daily jungle between home and the office?
In addition to the lost time and the moral and environmental costs, commuting also has a financial cost. The Regus study reveals that the expenses related to commuting in France, borne by employees, amount to 3.4% of their annual salary.
Even more worrying: 8% of French workers spend 10% or more of their salary on commuting (compared to 7% globally). According to Olivier de la Valette, Managing Director of Regus Southern Europe, “to address these issues and avoid wasting time in transport during rush hours, many French workers and companies have opted for a new, more flexible way of working, allowing employees to work closer to home and at hours better suited to their personal and professional rhythms.”
Shifting to home-based teleworking or setting up telecenters near suburban areas could help reduce such inconveniences. Can we hope for a widespread adoption of teleworking in France, as is already the case in Scandinavian countries? The question is worth asking—especially today, when the price of a barrel of oil has reached a record high of $120.
Source : http://greenworking.fr/uncategorized/les-sept-plaies-de-la-migration-pendulaire/