Too broad a definition - focus on the CAZ where people are most likely to commute into. In the context of afterwork drinks - Thursday is the day.No, both are - there's been lots of Thursday is the new Friday stuff in the press over the past couple of years and it's definitely gotten busier thanks to hybrid working + certainly true in places like the City but overall Friday is still busier.
Remote vs Hybrid vs On-Site - Where do you draw the line?
- Thread starter IC3
- Start date
Soldato
Been in the Telecoms industry for 16 years or so, until the Covid Lockdown happened I was full time either in the office or on site at clients. Since Lockdown I have been a remote worker with a one day a month get together in a WeWork type place with the others from my region. I do miss the being out on site with clients doing physical installation work, but my industry has changed so much in the past five years from on site PBXs to Cloud phone systems that 90% of "installs" have no actual install anymore. I like the non-commuting aspect of remote work as I can get up later and am home finished much earlier, but I live alone and so do miss the daily interactions with my colleague to an extent.
Soldato
Every company I’ve worked for since COVID has gone remote working, and I’ve left each one so far as a result.
Remote working for me doesn’t work. I can’t stand sitting in a room all day every day with no interaction with anyone else other than through a screen.
Hybrid is a great balance for me as it’s not too much travel (office is 1 hr 30 from me each way) but I still get some human interaction.
Equally, no value in a hybrid role if there’s no one in the office.
Remote working for me doesn’t work. I can’t stand sitting in a room all day every day with no interaction with anyone else other than through a screen.
Hybrid is a great balance for me as it’s not too much travel (office is 1 hr 30 from me each way) but I still get some human interaction.
Equally, no value in a hybrid role if there’s no one in the office.
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Caporegime
3 hours of driving for every day you're in the office is insane. So much wasted time and then the cost if you don't get a mileage allowance.
Soldato
I really enjoy the traffic free drive 2x a week.
I always feel alert and focused by the time I get to the office.
Obviously I wouldn’t want it 5 days a week.
When I took the job I was intending to move to within 25 min commute and be in 5 days a week, but they closed the office within a short time.
They’ve since opened a managed service office close by but no one uses it in my team (probably because you have to pay if you don’t commit 2-3 days a week!)
Soldato
I love it though and can get loads of phone calls done. Absolutely 0 traffic on the route as well
It’s only about £10-12 of fuel a trip so twice a week it was less than £100 a month - near 0 impact.
A single train into London costs me £66+
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This was already happening before COVID inside the square mile in my opinion. Loads of offices just had skeleton (support) staff in on Fridays as guess which day the majority of people picked as their single wfh day. I started shifting to wfh on Mondays just so I could come into a dead quiet office on Fridays.
Then after COVID it's now dead on Mondays and Fridays because people like to extend their weekends into these days so they are home for 4 days in a row. Typically our busiest office days tend to be Wednesday and Thursdays. In terms of commuting, trains are definitely less busy on Mondays and Fridays as well.
Man of Honour
I'm on the same page as you. My commute is 2-2.5hrs by train which I don't mind but I get up early anyway. That said I am switching roles but it's 3 days in the office which suits me well and only 1.5hrs each way so saving a fair bit of time too.
Concur with that - I did my 4 hour (on a bad day) round trip yesterday - was dreamy, getting work calls in and also a check-in to my mumI love it though and can get loads of phone calls done. Absolutely 0 traffic on the route as well
It’s only about £10-12 of fuel a trip so twice a week it was less than £100 a month - near 0 impact.
A single train into London costs me £66+
Caporegime
I love it though and can get loads of phone calls done. Absolutely 0 traffic on the route as well
It’s only about £10-12 of fuel a trip so twice a week it was less than £100 a month - near 0 impact.
A single train into London costs me £66+
£1200 a year is not to be sniffed at in the current climate with costs rising and rising, although if you're on a good salary that couldn't be obtained closer to where you live then it does make sense.
With the commute time on top of that, it wouldn't be a near 0 impact for me, let's say 45 weeks a year you do this, that's 270 hours just on travel.
Soldato
People spend £1200 on coffee a year
For me, £1200 a year for some lovely driving is ace.
Nothing like a 07:00 start in the summer when it’s already 15 degrees. Roof down, 6 cylinders of bliss for 1.5 hrs. Well worth £1200 to me
Even on a chilly day I can stick driving gloves on, coat and heated seats and be toasty.
The commuting thing definitely has different value to different people - during summer the early morning drive to head office when the roads are quiet, the sun is rising and music is playing, can be really quite enjoyable for those of us who like driving for driving's sake. Even nicer when you're getting reimbursed the fuel too.
It can also be a nice bit of uninterrupted 'alone time' for some people to unwind a bit, maybe listen to audiobooks, not be so distracted by the constant notifications on your phone.
It's obviously not quite so enjoyable in the depths of winter when it's 2C and ******* down with rain though
In balance with home working and/or local offices etc. I don't think it's necessarily particularly unhealthy for everyone - as long as people are happy they've factored in the time commitment vs the compensation they get, it's all good.
It's a bit different if you're committing 3h of your day every single day though.
It can also be a nice bit of uninterrupted 'alone time' for some people to unwind a bit, maybe listen to audiobooks, not be so distracted by the constant notifications on your phone.
It's obviously not quite so enjoyable in the depths of winter when it's 2C and ******* down with rain though
In balance with home working and/or local offices etc. I don't think it's necessarily particularly unhealthy for everyone - as long as people are happy they've factored in the time commitment vs the compensation they get, it's all good.
It's a bit different if you're committing 3h of your day every single day though.
People often don't account for the extra prep time and potential additional costs like your car breaking etc. I workout the additional time commuting and getting ready (ironing work clothes, lunch prep etc.) and multiply it by my hourly rate. By the time I do all the maths, most hybrid jobs (even though better paid) aren't worth it in my eyes.
That sounds insane...
Caporegime
It's a bit different because these are people making a choice that doesn't affect their employment, a tiny percentage of coffee drinkers spend that much a year.
You have to spend at least ~£1200 a year just to get to and from work. If it works for you that's fine but I'd have to be compensated well above what I could earn more locally to be wasting that much of my life sat in a car and paying for the pleasure. It's not just the cost of fuel, you'll also run up other costs more quickly if you're driving that many miles a week.
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There are people who will get up extra early on a weekend just to drive around in a big circle for the sake of it and not even go anywhere, at least ending up at work adds a bit of purpose
Man of Honour
Is spending £1200 a year on getting to work and back a lot?
I used to spend way more than that on fuel alone in the UK commuting, let alone other running costs and maintenance.
I used to spend way more than that on fuel alone in the UK commuting, let alone other running costs and maintenance.
Man of Honour
I don't think it is. A season ticket is £4-5k per year. It's just part of working life.
An annual train season for me now would be 5K. 6K including tube.
I remember when I used to think my work life balance was awful because my commute averaged 40 minutes driving one way in the car!
I look back on those times with my now 1.5 hour (on a good day) one way commute into London.
Bargain - you are excluding the car cost though. And for folk that would need a 2nd car to enable this; that could be significant.