Chaotic Work Commute on Channel 9 Today Extra

By Sue Ellson

Date: 29 November 2023 10:47am
Media: Channel 9’s Today Extra Show, National Australian Television
Story: Chaotic Work Commute
Hosts: David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys
Guest: Sue Ellson
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzvB2swJKpA
Time: 00:03:20

On Wednesday 29 November 2023, I appeared on Channel 9’s Today Extra show to talk about the impact of a timely and costly commute on workers and what options they have.

David Campbell, Sylvia Jeffreys and Sue Ellson on the topic of the Chaotic Work Commute on Channel 9’s Today Extra

Transcript

Well this morning you might have seen in the news hundreds of Sydneysiders were caught in traffic gridlock making their way to work. It’s a daily struggle for many employees across the nation it’s quite literally driving Aussies to quit their jobs see what you did there to discuss where’re joined by workplace expert Sue Ellson. Sue good morning to you Why are Aussies fed up with the daily commute now more than ever?

Well the Melbourne Institute HILDA survey has shown that in 2002 Aussies were only spending 55 minutes a day on commuting now it’s gone up to 68 minutes and between census States 2016 to 2021 the number of people using public transport has actually halved so we’ve got obviously the cost of driving to work the ageing infrastructure or infrastructure projects delaying things work um congestion on the roads and also the urban sprawl all of these are combining to make that commute timely costly stressful and it’s actually affecting men even worse than women

So this comes as the Oz government sides with employers to get workers back into the office so are you on board with this trend and how does it look globally?

Yes look I think if it’s a reasonable request to get people back in the office then absolutely. So the KPMG Global CEO Outlook has actually shown that 64% of those CEOs are expecting everybody to be back in the workplace within 3 years and 87% of them are prepared to give those people who are working on site better assignments uh raises and promotions.

Now globally the European and Asian countries have been the best at coming back into the workplace obviously based a lot on the culture and the fact that they didn’t spend as much time doing remote work but in the US and UK it’s lagging behind so there’s new rules coming in and legislation type things in relation to the right to disconnect so there’s lots of changes occurring uh but ultimately I think we’re all going to end up you know definitely some sort of hybrid uh option in the future.

So when is a commute to work worth it and when should you seriously be looking at working closer to home?

Yes well obviously if you’ve required to be there you’ve got to be there there’s some jobs that you just cannot work remotely from and also if you’re in a niche role and it’s part of your overall career plan and you love the culture obviously you’re going to tackle that but if you’re getting to the point where it is so stressful it’s really impacting on your life uh it’s okay to consider a job for now for a little while to particularly if your lifestyle has changed and you’ve got a lot more responsibilities outside of working hours

Sue though I mean there be some people there saying I’m more you know better at working from home that I am working in the office how do you negotiate that time when there’s this seems to be this global move against it?

Yes well obviously I don’t think we’re ever going to go back to the days of working remotely full-time so that opportunity to do hybrid you’re going to need to keep those work records if you’re not being monitored directly that is and show that you’re actually still achieving those results you can also demonstrate how your performance is going and the average Australian is actually spending 5.4 hours per week doing unpaid work and the people who don’t commute spend 40% of that commuting time back on their work so you might be able to negotiate on that basis as well.

Interesting great advice Sue as always thank you. Thanks Sue. See you soon

Graphics

When to commute

niche role
required role
clear career plan
culture

Considering a change

health challenges
overwhelmed
lifestyle changes
workplace issues

Negotiating WFH

keep work records
consider hybrid work
demonstrate performance
calculate unpaid hours

Additional Question

What can you do if you love your job but the travel time just isn’t checking out financially?

You could definitely discuss the idea of still coming to the workplace but at different times to avoid the peak periods, say from 7 to 3 or 11 to 7. Larger employers may be able to let you work from a satellite workplace location closer to home or have certain days of the week or month where people work from a different location that suits a majority of employees.
You could consider moving to a new location if there is some affordable housing available and it doesn’t disrupt the rest of your life or request a travel allowance that includes access to free public transport or tolls.

Commuting alternatives

ask for alternative hours
co-locate satellite location
consider moving (if available)
negotiate travel allowance / pass

References

The effects of commuting and working from home arrangements on mental health
https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/publications/working-papers/search/result?paper=4800571

Australia’s journey to work
https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/australias-journey-work

KPMG 2023 CEO Outlook
https://kpmg.com/xx/en/home/insights/2023/09/kpmg-global-ceo-outlook-survey.html

‘Return to Office’: Stark differences emerge across continents and cultures
https://www.livemint.com/news/world/return-to-office-stark-differences-emerge-across-continents-and-cultures-11693874418718.html

Employers Steal More than 280 Hours from Workers Each Year: Go Home on Time Day Report 2023
https://futurework.org.au/post/employers-steal-more-than-280-hours-from-workers-each-year

Commuting Or Working From Home Or Working Close To Home Or Hybrid (Backgrounder)
https://sueellson.com/blog/commuting-or-working-from-home-or-working-close-to-home-or-hybrid

Shared Online

CHAOTIC WORK COMMUTE // 🚗 Have you noticed a significant increase in the time it takes to commute to work in Australia? According to the Melbourne Institute HILDA Survey, from 2002 to 2019, it went up from an average of 55 minutes a day to 68 minutes a day and it affects the mental health of men more than women.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, between 2016 and 2021, public transport users have dropped by 50%!

In the KPMG Global CEO Outlook Report, 64% of Global CEOs believe we will all be back onsite within three years and 87% will reward onsite employees with favourable assignments, raises and promotions – and all this is happening whilst the Australia Institute reports that Australians provide an average of 5.4 hours of unpaid work per week.

I discuss these issues and more in this short segment on Channel Nine’s Today Extra with David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys, produced by Briana Goodchild. The main points include:

When to commute