An overlooked factor that could curb return-to-work enthusiasm

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

In the pre-pandemic era, commuting time occupied an interesting gray area in the employee-employer dynamic.

Most businesses probably wouldn’t agree the 45 minutes a worker spent in the car on the way to the office was “company time.” Most employees probably weren’t being compensated for the time.

For employees, commutes were often viewed as a necessary cost of employment, albeit an annoying and frustrating one. But my guess is most employees didn’t consider their commuting time as their own time.

Commutes occupied a strange no-man’s land. When Covid-19 hit last spring, that changed overnight.

Time employees previously spent commuting became time spent playing with their kids, pursuing a hobby and a variety of other things, especially as the world opened up more after the initial Covid-19 wave.

I didn’t have a terrible commute before Covid-19, but even I was amazed at all the extra time available once you subtract time in the car, the time you spend getting ready and everything else that goes along with in-person work.

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2021/10/01/commuting-covid-return-to-work.html

[lagomorph777]

1. Yup. Also I spend much less time shaving.

[tblue37]

2. +1.

[Johnny2X2X]

3. No commute is life changing

It's a complete game changer for me. Been WFH since March of 2020. I only have a 20 minute commute, but that works out to almost 3-1/2 hours in the car a week that I got back. And there's more than that, no longer having to get dressed for the office saves time, no longer having to get out of office clothes in the evening saves time. I shower at night now rather than the morning, I wake up 20 minutes before I want to log into work. All in all, I have 5+ hours more free time because of WFH. So my 40 hour work week is that much less tiring, I feel fresher at the end of the work week now and can enjoy my weekend more because of it.

And the expense savings are substantial. Saving $800 a year in gas, saving maintenance and wear and tear on my car. I save money on meals because I don't eat at the work cafeteria or go out for lunch anymore. I've saved on work shoes and work clothes too. This adds up, I set a goal of buying a new car when my current one gets to 80 or 90 thousand miles, mine won't be getting there for an extra couple years now.

My company has pegged our return to work to the CDC spread of Covid in our county, I do not anticipate return to work until the Spring, when it will have been 2 full years. And even then, we're going to a hybrid model of Tuesday thru Thursday in the office, Monday and Friday work from home. So I will be saving still.

It's absolutely life changing although I do miss the group work environment. I think the hybrid model will offer the best of both worlds.

[spooky3]

4. That is great. I was fortunate to have a job where

I could opt to work from home 3 days a week. There were people who chose to come in every day. Some of them were rather nasty in their assumptions about those of us who saw flexibility as good for both us and our work, for the reasons you described. I wonder if their opinions will change.

[Johnny2X2X]

5. They have to change

Young talent wants WFH, in order to be competitive, industries must be able to attract top young talent.

It's been funny watching some of the old timers have to accept it.

[uponit7771]

8. +1

[uponit7771]

9. +1

[Blue Owl]

6. K&R

[Captain Zero]

7. It's like this with snow days too, sometimes

An employee will say they should get a snow day because they live faraway from the workplace making the commute more dangerous. I worked at a place where the company would answer with:

" you knew where we were located when you hired in here, and you choose where you want to live. Sorry. You still need to get to work on snowy days."

[xmas74]

10. I just started a new position today.

It's a dollar less an hour to start but totally wfh with all daytime hours,no nights,no overtime unless absolutely necessary and no weekends. I'll save upwards of almost 2 hours commute daily.

This job will allow me to have an actual life outside of work. It's worth it.

[MissB]

11. Dh and I are not scrambling in the bathroom each morning

We love our non-commute.

My commute was only 15 to 20 minutes each way. His was about an hour, because he biked in, but only went into the office one day a week. I paid over $100 a month for a parking spot. I’d prep our lunches the night before.

All that- poof. Gone. More time all around.

I’m barely use the car and he barely uses the truck. We sit on the wraparound covered porch in the late afternoon and enjoy each other’s company, or the company of our dogs, or just watch the cars and people go by. Since we both work early hours, the summer afternoons have been fabulous. I no longer look out the window at work, wishing I was outside. Now I just grab my laptop and find a warm place to work, sometime on a folding chair with my chickens milling about.