It takes the average American employee 26.7 minutes to commute to work (which translates to nearly an hour of commuting per day). But that's just the nationwide average; millions of Americans report driving at least an hour each way. HR professionals and corporate leaders are taking note, especially as they observe how commuting time takes its toll on their employees' physical and mental health, workplace productivity, and their business's bottom line.
The Surprising Hidden Costs of Your Workers' Commutes
The time and distance it takes for your staff to commute to and from their workplace — whether in a rural location for industries like manufacturing and food production, or an urban area with the congested traffic and limited parking of many corporate office locations — significantly impacts both employee well-being and organizational productivity.
The Critical Health Impacts of Long Commutes
Car crashes — including accidents that occur during work commutes — are the top cause of fatal work-related injuries in the United states. But there are also unexpected, hidden health costs associated with long work commutes:
- Mental health: With every 10 minutes of commute time, an employee's risk of developing depression increases.
- Sleep: Long commutes are associated with less sleep, poorer sleep quality, and a higher risk of sleep disorders like insomnia — all of which contribute to increased fatigue, higher risk of workplace injuries due to exhaustion, and worsening mental health.
- Overall wellness: Commuting has a negative correlation with a wide range of key health indicators, with commuters being more likely to be obese, get less exercise, experience high blood pressure, and engage in unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking.
The Financial Burden of Commuting on Employees
"Today’s cost of getting to and from the office is about 19% of commuters’ annual income," warns Fortune magazine. In addition to accounting for value of the hours lost, that includes "an average of $867 on gas and $410 on maintenance a year for a car (obviously, some commuters take public transport)."
But most notably, the time spent commuting is time lost that your staff could have used for more productive activities, such as working additional hours, spending time with their family, or pursuing further education — all of which can have long-term personal and financial benefits.
The Ripple Effect at Work: How Long Commutes Impact Your Business
There are immediate health and financial effects on the individual commuter, but recent business research demonstrates how commute-related stress ripples through an organization, contributing to HR issues like employee burnout, low staff recruitment and retention, and reduced workplace happiness. For example, one study found a direct correlation between long commute time and worsening job satisfaction.
As an HR professional or business leader, you can offer innovative transportation benefits and help your team cut their commute times. While this is often an overlooked HR strategy, tackling the problem of cumbersome commutes fosters a more engaged and productive workforce, ultimately benefiting your company's bottom line.
Transportation Benefits to the Rescue
It's clear that employees dislike commuting. That's why one nationwide poll found that one out of every two work-at-home employees said eliminating their commute was the most important benefit of remote work. Of course, employing remote staff or rolling out hybrid work schedules may not be the best fit for many businesses. Transportation benefits can bridge the gap.
The Benefits of Offering Transportation Benefits to Staff
Every year, human resources consulting firm Mercer analyzes data on transportation and policy benefits in 75 major business markets, including the U.S. "Transportation policies have long been a desirable fringe benefit," their analysts report. "Benefits like car allowances, public transportation subsidies, commuter benefits and company cars are alluring."
According to Mercer's data, the key perks to offering transportation benefits include incentivizing employees, improving how employees get to work, and improving job performance. The end result:
- Enhanced employee health and wellness
- Improved ability to attract talent (especially if your business is located in areas with workers spread across a wide region or not well-served by public transportation systems)
- Improved staff retention and reduced turnover (losing an employee and refilling that position can cost a business up to 400% of the original employee's salary)
Types of Transportation Benefits to Consider Offering Your Employees
Some of the most common transportation benefits offered in 2024, according to Mercer's market data, include:
- Subsidized parking (40% of employers who offer subsidized parking cover the entire cost of employee parking)
- Subsidized public transportation that covers part or all of an employee's transit fees (31% of employers who provided subsidized public transportation fees cover the full cost of public transit)
- Car allowances
- Company cars (a common benefit, but unfortunately typically only given to executives and sales staff)
That said, giving each employee a company car is hardly feasible for most businesses. It also doesn't address the actual problem of sitting in traffic and experiencing long commute times. And while public transportation helps take cars off the road and provide workers with a convenient way to commute, many employees live or work in transit deserts and the most recent U.S. Census Data from 2021 shows that only 2.5% of employees use public transit.
Forward-thinking business leaders and HR professionals are instead turning to more innovative solutions, like company-sponsored rideshare and shuttle services.
Why Employees Want Rideshare Services
To request a ride with this model, employees typically are given access to a ridesharing app or platform. A driver then picks them up and transports them to the workplace, their home, or a convenient transportation hub, all organized by a ridesharing provider.
This is where SHARE Mobility's real-time ridesharing solutions come into play to make your workers' commutes more manageable and smooth. Our solutions use smart, data-driven route and program management, rider booking and ticketing features, and professionally trained drivers. And case studies show that this dramatically improves employee commutes.
In one case study, a company in Louisville, KY, struggled with all the aforementioned problems with long commutes affecting their staff. After adopting the SHARE Mobility ridesharing platform, this organization:
- Improved its employee retention statistics
- Increased recruitment by overcoming lack of transportation as a barrier in the hiring process
- Saw enhanced workplace engagement and worker satisfaction
Why More Companies Are Offering Shuttle Services to Employees
Corporate shuttle programs provide reliable and safe transportation to your staff. Depending on your needs, a corporate shuttle service can pick up your team members at their front door, bring them to your workplace, and then transport them back to their home after their shift is over. Such a service can also be adjusted to do pick-ups and drop-offs at designated common locations, such as the nearest park-and-ride lot.
Building and operating your own shuttle service can be pricey, which is where SHARE Mobility's turnkey corporate shuttle service comes into play. We offer complete commute solutions fully managed by our expert team and trained fleet operators and professional drivers, including route and program management and real-time vehicle tracking.
SHARE for a Shorter Commute for Everyone
While long commutes might be the status quo, savvy HR leaders know that getting ahead of this systemic problem makes a real difference in employee productivity, staff wellness, and other key HR metrics. Contact our sales team today to explore SHARE Mobility's innovative ridesharing solutions and employee commuter solutions for businesses. With these innovations, you can help eliminate the most common pitfalls of long commutes and give your staff the transportation benefits that they need.
