JobBuzz finds that 57% employees in metros and 43% employees in small cities spend more than an hour in commuting to office every day
July 14, 2015: On his way to work recently, Ashwani Sinha tweeted "God blesses us with good weather; Delhi curses it with bad traffic; Gurgaon does the rest to ruin it completely. #TheBalanceOfLife."
Working professionals echo Ashwani’s feelings the world over, dreading the long hours commuting to work everyday. Industry experts directly link the biggest effects of long commutes to stress-related health issues, and its adverse impact on employee productivity and job satisfaction.
To find out more, JobBuzz, an employer-rating platform powered by TimesJobs.com, recently conducted a ‘Work Commuting Survey’ of India Inc. employees.
The survey showed that a whopping 60 per cent of the respondents felt spending more time to reach work directly affected their day-to-day performance and hampered their productivity.
"What employees feel instinctively has been substantiated by numerous health studies that show the adverse effects of long commutes ranging from increased cholesterol and blood pressure, to anxiety and even depression. On a macro scale, the effects of commuting are obvious from contributing to traffic congestion, noise and air pollution, to urban sprawl and global warming." explains Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com.
Office is over an hour away for most people
The survey results show that over 50 per cent of India Inc employees spend more than an hour commuting to work every day while another 30 per cent spend at least half an hour getting to office. JobBuzz further revealed some striking commuting patterns :-
> 57% employees in metros spend more than an hour in commuting to office every day
> 43% employees in small cities spend more than an hour in commuting to office every day
> 53% male employees spend more than an hour in commuting to office; 35% spend over 30 minutes
> 44% female employees spend more than an hour in commuting to office; 25% spend over 30 minutes
So should proximity of the company to one’s home be an essential criterion while taking up a job?
For 52 per cent of the respondents, an office near home was a very important criterion while taking up a job. But 48 per cent felt the proximity of one’s office to one’s home did not matter if the job and salary were fitting.
In terms of gender, 65 per cent male respondents felt proximity to home was a crucial factor in deciding their acceptance of an offer of employment. However, only 37 per cent female employees felt the same way. A whopping 63 percent of female employees clearly stated that proximity was not a concern for them if career and financial benefits were good.
On being asked what kind of company they would choose to work for, 40 per cent of the survey respondents said they would choose an organization that was located less than 30 minutes away from their homes.
Over 24 percent respondents said they would choose a company within a 5 km radius near home, while 21 per cent said they would go for a company that offered higher conveyance allowance or fuel reimbursements. Nearly 15 per cent of the respondents said they would work for a company that provided conveyance facility.
"What seems evident is that employees in India Inc. are willing to forego their personal well-being for the benefits of higher income or better housing being passed onto other members of their household. They are sacrificing themselves for their families’ happiness." says Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com
Public transport is still the main mode for commuting
For 45 per cent of respondents, public transport remains the most economical and efficient mode of commuting to office while nearly 40 per cent respondents used their own vehicles for this purpose. Nearly 9 per cent respondents said they were provided with transport by the office while a meager 6 per cent said they had organized and regularly used carpools.
This JobBuzz survey was conducted among 536 working professionals across India.
About JobBuzz.in :
JobBuzz is TimesJobs.com’s employee to employee community which helps jobseekers decide which company, industry and role is right for them by providing them company reviews, ratings, salary and interview information contributed by members who happen to be current or past employees of a company.
About TimesJobs.com:
TimesJobs.com, India’s leading career and recruitment portal, is one of the best-selling online ventures of the Times of India Group. Conceived and launched in 2004, TimesJobs.com currently has a candidate database of more than 20 million registered job-seekers across levels and functions who clock-in over 40 million page views a month.