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Long commutes are negatively affecting our health

Long commutes are negatively affecting our health

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Commuter Crisis

 

For those of us battling long commutes, from sleepy out-of-town areas into the hustle of the city, it looks like service delays and rising transport prices might not be your only worry. A recent study, developed by VitalityHealth, has discovered that long commutes are causing poor health and productivity outcomes for the nation’s employees. Examining 34,000 workers across all UK industries, findings showed that workers commuting for less than 30 minutes to their job gain an additional seven days worth of productive time each year. One way to tackle this may be with flexible working hours, which the study showed to have a positive impact on productivity, physical and mental health. However, working from home (but without flexible hours) caused the least amount of productivity, with employees losing a whopping 29 working days each year. Time to reevaluate those long, expensive commutes.

Longer-commuting workers are 33% more likely to suffer from depression; 37% more likely to have financial concerns; 12% more likely to report multiple dimensions of work-related stress.
These workers are also 46% more likely to get less than the 8 hours of recommended sleep each night.

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