Between home and work: commuting as an opportunity for role transitions
Published in: Organization Science - January 2021
Written by
Jon Jachimowicz, Julia Lee Cunningham, Bradley Staats, Francesca Gino and Jochen Menges
Summary
What we found: Commuting is known as one of the most stressful parts of people’s workdays. But we find in a study of 1,736 commuters that employees who use their commute as an opportunity to “switch roles” and transition into and out of their workday find commutes less stressful.
Why it matters: On average, people spend about an hour each day commuting to and from work. Helping to reduce stress caused by commutes – and even making commutes into a productive opportunity to ease into and out of the workday – can bring benefits for employee well-being.
What next: Companies and team leaders can help employees use their existing commute for the better, or in remote settings, they can create opportunities to help employees switch into and out of work, such as creating a 'virtual commute ' that gives employees time to plan and reflect on their day.