Time to compute the commute
ALMOST half of Aussie workers are unhappy with the time it takes them to get to work, with those living within 15 minutes’ drive of their job 10 times more likely to be satisfied than those living more than an hour away.
Independent research conducted by Survey Sampling International on behalf of SEEK reveals 80 per cent of workers who take less than a 15 minute commute are happy, compared to 13 per cent who take between 46 minutes and an hour and 8 per cent who take more than an hour.
It finds the main perceived benefits of living closer to work are the potential for work/life balance (91 per cent), the convenience of managing personal affairs (90 per cent) and the ability to socialise with col- leagues (55 per cent). The commute was ranked the fourth biggest factor for workers when choosing their employer (45 per cent consider it to be important), behind work/life balance, job security and salary.
SEEK spokeswoman Kendra Banks says Australia’s preferred mode of transport to and from work is overwhelmingly the car.
“The top commute time people in Australia would be prepared to travel to work is 35 to 40 minutes,” she says.
“However, people would consider travelling further if they had an increase in pay, if they were travelling to work for a job or company they were passionate about or a more senior position.
“A concerning trend is that one in three people in Australia said they feel more obliged to work overtime if they lived closer to work, which contradicts the key factors Aussies consider when choosing a company to work for.”
More than a third of Australians in metropolitan areas (38 per cent) would consider relocating to a regional area for work.
The key reasons are the change of pace and more affordable living or if the opportunity paid well and had good job security.
Of workers who live in regional areas, most work locally (77 per cent) but the remaining 23 per cent travel to a metropolitan area for their job.
University student Sarah Baker’s (pictured) first job was at a Mexican restaurant 45 minutes’ drive from home. She has since switched to work at a bottle shop 200m away and couldn’t be happier.
“In my old job I’d always start at 5pm and it was all peak-hour traffic,” she says.
“Sometimes you’d only get a three-hour shift and think ‘is it even worth going?’. It was so draining having to go through peak hour every time.”
Her new job saves her a lot of time.
“Every time I had work at the other place I had to leave an hour before I started and now it’s maybe five minutes before I start. If I have to go to a different store I have to drive, but anywhere I go is only 15 minutes away. I get time to do my assignments for longer.”