Issue of the day: The ‘virtual commute’

FOR many of us, the pandemic has brought an end to the oft moaned of daily commute, but there are plans afoot for businesses to encourage employees to embrace a “virtual commute” as the shift to remote working settles into a new kind of normality.

Ah, the commute….

From rush-hour traffic jams to crammed public transport, the commute as we knew it was the bane of so many lives. But the pandemic has put paid to all of that for thousands of people around the world.

Some of us are wistful? Amid this new coronavirus

existence, even the commute – with its irks and irritations – is occasionally being missed. A cursory glance on social media reveals a longing for the familiar, with ex-commuters posting pictures of the views they once took for granted on their journeys to and from work, as well as posts about the simple things they miss; from listening to audiobooks on the commute, to grabbing a takeaway coffee on their way into the office.

People-watching?

One forlorn ex-commuter wrote on Twitter : “I actually really miss my commute. Listening to music, reading, people-watching, staring into people’s gardens from the top deck of the bus…”

We are working more now? From mid-march to mid-september, figures from the Friedman Institute for Economics at the University of Chicago show that in America, workers spent 60 million fewer hours commuting, but in this time they were essentially given back, many simply worked.

How so?

The university’s analysis of census and survey data showed that accumulatively, 43 million hours were spent on working in some form – whether on one’s primary job, a second job or chores and home improvements.

So what’s a “virtual commute”? Due to launch in the first half of 2021, Microsoft Teams have announced they are introducing “virtual commutes” to help workers gear up for the day and wind down at the day’s end. A spokesman said the commute “will help create boundaries and structure that physical commutes once provided”.

The idea is to create a routine? A spokeswoman for Microsoft explained: “Commutes provide blocks of uninterrupted time for mentally transitioning to and from work, an important aspect of wellbeing and productivity.

People will say, ‘I’m happy I don’t have to commute anymore. I’m saving time’. But without a routine for ramping up for work and then winding down, they’re emotionally exhausted at the end of the day.”

So what will it involve

Scheduling a “commute” for the beginning of a workday will mean “setting aside time to prepare for work, whether it’s going for a walk or planning tasks with a cup of coffee”. And at the day’s end, they will be able to customise home “commutes” with prompts to “reflect emotionally, celebrate accomplishments, add tasks to a to-do list for later and meditate” to “fully disconnect”.