We’ve all been there, awake at 7 am, thinking about the commute we’re about to face. We wish we can just fall back into our dreams, but really, we must go to work. The work you enjoy… but the journey you hate.
It can sometimes just be so difficult to get there! For most of us we live on the outskirts of the centre. Our commute can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, and staff struggle to get into work all year round for an assortment of reasons.[ninja_tables id=”3980″]
Everyone has had that experience of standing on the platform, seeing your train shift from increasing delays to finally, cancellation. Then, you are given a mediocre explanation. The anger and frustration can set you off kilter for the whole day.
Sure, there are those obstacles that are completely out-of-the-ordinary, such as when a Swan ventured onto the tracks at Staines Station – but problems with trains and travel happen everyday, all year-round:
• In winter, icy conditions means cars needs de-icing and roads are extremely slow or closed. Also, some train services are closed due to the conditions.
• In summer, after the snow has melted and we are thankful for the heat; trains can be cancelled or severely delayed from people fainting from either dehydration/heat exhaustion or from excessive heat on the tracks – leaving you stuck on a sweaty, busy and uncomfortable platform/carriage
• Engineering works and staff shortages result in disruptions to your journey, as well as Industrial action
Industrial Action
In Southern Rails 2017/2018 strikes, those who commuted daily on this service experienced unimaginable destruction to their professional and personal life.
For some passengers, families were hurt by the additional time it took for people to travel, some even lost their jobs because they were unable to get to their office on time. Also, others were forced to move to be closer to work, this was a large and painful experience for many due to rising house prices the closer you move to the city centre.
In more recent news, during the week of the 26th of September, a 48-hour strike on the Piccadilly line during the week of the 26th of September was set to bring misery to tens of thousands of passengers. The Piccadilly line is one of London’s busiest lines, and therefore severe delays occurred at Finsbury Park, Kings Cross St Pancras, Green Park and Hammersmith.
Unfortunately, strikes occur all the time with trains due to disputes with TFL bosses over wages, working conditions and changes to engineering systems. Train strikes or disruptions from engineering works means people either must wake up significantly earlier or arrive late which can affect your performance at work and leave little time for doing things that matter to you.
Industrial action to transportation is an unavoidable disturbance to peoples’ journeys. If affected passengers were able to work remotely, then ramifications of strikes can be severely limited. Those who lost their jobs, had to relocate or suffered with playing the ‘catch-up’ game once they finally arrived into work due to Southern Rail’s strikes could have carried on as normal and without stress.
Commuting is bad for your health
Not only is commuting a struggle for work and personal life, studies are now coming out saying that if peoples commutes are more than 30 minutes long, it could lead to an early grave. The risk of this is even higher for women than it is for men.
The stress of commuting, with delays and cancellations can lead to high blood pressure and heightened stress or anxiety. A shorter commute is proven to make people happier, but this is 100% easier said than done.
Working Remotely
One sure-fire way to reduce your teams commute and their stress about being on time, additionally improving their overall health and happiness is enabling your team to work remotely.
Rather than commuting to an early grave, it would be easier and better for your team in the long-run if they could merely commute to the kitchen for a free coffee rather than a £2 mediocre-blend native to train stations.
So, for those days when your team struggles to arrive into work if the ice is too hazardous, their train is interrupted, or they think they would benefit from home comforts, providing the option to work remotely can keep your staff happy and in turn, the company. With a happy and healthy team, your team will be at their best productivity level and will value your leadership even more.
If you have experience with your staff struggling to get into work, somethings seeming aggravated due to the perils of commuting, Systems IT can provide your company with the perfect software to make working remotely a safe and accessible option.
Click here to talk more about remote working
Find out more about how to bring working remotely options to your company here.
