Are long hours of commute bad for work?

Topic- Are long hours of commute bad for work?

 

We will all agree that most of the commute to work is always time consuming, even when it goes smoothly.Whenever we take a new job there are very few of us who give a thought to the commuting time that will take from your place to the workplace each day, and if you have already thought about it, then the next thing you will think of is the drive time or have good and accessible public transport.

 

We all face such situations, we tell people your commute is 45 minutes each way, but every day, there can be some delay for instance an accident, delayed trains, a bad weather or a long traffic jam. To compensate for the delays sometimes you leave the house earlier and earlier. And to start earlier, you also have to go to bed early or be exhausted for the whole day. And when you finally reach work, you realise, you will have to do it all over again tomorrow. As per Swedish study it has been proven that people with fulltime jobs who endure long commutes may be facing more sleep problems and sedentary lifestyles than people who work closer to home! And it’s no longer a secret that sleep is extremely important to avoid any brain related issues which is fast becoming one of the largest diseases in the world. Therefore long commutes can quite easily result in brain related diseases.

 

Studies also found that among individuals who work more than 40 hours a week and commuting more than a half hour each way to work on a typical day was associated with a 25% higher risk of having an inactive lifestyle and a 16% higher risk of sleep problems. Sleep problems typically arise when there is no time for stress-releasing activities and relaxation when an individual is so busy with work and long hours of commute and doesn’t have time to chill or relax and take a time out is when anxiety and sleep problem arise.

 

Long hours of commute also hinders a persons productivity because if maximum time is spent in travelling the individual will be tired already and that time spent in travelling would have been used more efficiently if compared to an individual staying nearby. And with the kind of competitive world we live in, it’s almost very hard to be not performing at work and still keep the job. Therefore, another issue of long commute is to become non-productive at work eventually risking the job itself.

 

People tend to get too tired to be physically active after a long working day and commute as maximum number of people’s daily schedules are designed by their work routines they have included how much time they spend getting to and from their job etc.! It is for sure that an individual’s routine goes for a toss if the travelling time is long,and this in return is linked to unhealthy behaviour like inactivity, smoking and poor eating habits.Long commutes also often take a toll on family life. What would a commuter to do if an emergency situation come’s up back home during the day? Will it be possible to attend a child’s 4 p.m. sports event or mid-day school presentation? Though such programs are mostly scheduled on weekend but long commutes are not as friendly to marriages and family life as one might wish.Therefore if you’re spending too much time travelling, you will probably be missing out on a lot of family time, which could have otherwise been used to take care and be with your loved ones.

 

So overall, the list can go on and on for why the long commutes is not such a good idea for a healthy lifestyle. It is always better to look at all aspects before taking up a job profile keeping in mind the travel time and the cost it will take to reach the destination. The jobs are many, but life is only one, take good care and right decision.