Home workers spend more time sleeping and exercising, survey shows

21 comments

1. So are healthier and happier than their colleagues who have to spend 2+ hours a day just commuting.

2. No shit. Not spending 3 hours commuting each day will mean that. Instead of waking up at 6.50am to get in for 9 I get up at 8.50. I’ll never go back to that unless I’m getting paid substantially more.

3. >Home workers save an average of 56 minutes a day from not commuting, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

   That seems grossly understated. Almost everyone who lives in London has a longer commute unless their flat and place of work are on top of a tube station. Outside of London and other major cities you’d have to work in the same town and while obviously that happens my experience says it’s not that common.

   Although I suspect there’s a big difference in commute times between blue collar jobs (very few of which can be wfh) and white collar jobs, as white collar workers generally don’t have as big a pool of local jobs to choose from as they specialise and so have to look further afield.

4. My work output at home is about 20% of my office output

5. Get so much more done at home than in the office, just endless people interrupting me when in the office. Just avoid it at all costs

6. 5 years WFH now and I’ve never been healthier. Long walk before work and at lunchtime, and dial into meetings while I’m on my home treadmill. When I’m on teams calls you can see the outline of my home gym squat rack in the background.

   They might let you have a standing desk in the office but I’ve never known anyone allowed to use one in conjunction with a walking treadmill.

7. WFH is also better for the environment and somewhat helps to mitigate the housing crisis.

   Not being tied in to living a certain distance away from your office makes it much easier to find suitable and affordable housing and reduces demand in commuter areas.

8. So people who don’t have to spend two hours a day travelling to and from work have two extra hours a day. That’s some pretty deep reporting right there.

9. Sounds great

   Much better than being forced to do 2 hours commuting each day, to keep someone else’s trillion pound property empire afloat

10. I work for one of the big companies that have been in the news lately after strong arming their staff back to the office.

    During Covid they grew massively, taking advantage of a pool of employees spread throughout the country.

    They’re now telling people “move yourselves and your families close to the office or there’s no longer a job for you”.

    This company labels themselves as a “people first employer” and won’t shut up about how “green” and “inclusive” they are despite this policy flying in the face of all their self awarded labels.

    Unsurprisingly morale has tanked, productivity has ground to a halt, people aren’t complying and once the dust settles, all their employees good enough to get jobs elsewhere will be gone and they’ll be left only with the left overs. Despite this, they’re sticking to their guns.

    I’m working my notice and have accepted a job at one of their direct competitors.

11. Probably because wfh workers know they have little / no chance of longterm career advancement.

    Edit: deny away, just don’t complain about nepotism or unfairness when you willingly sacrificed your career progression for an easy life

12. I used to work where it took me an hour-long (assuming the bus wasn’t late) trip both ways, I just did the maths and per year that is around 520 hours (assuming no days off) or 21.6 days.

    21.6 days of my life that I could have spent on anything else other than sitting in a cramped bus and getting car-sick.

    I had to wake at 6am and leave at 7am ffs! Thankfully my new role is 2-3 days WFH, so I can put up with it better since there’s less of a commute.

13. Mostly WFH now. Just to add to the choir, its been commented on by pretty much everyone I know how much healthier I seem.

    I can get up the same time I used to set off for work and nip to the gym instead. I can use my lunchbreak to get a bit of housework done so I can properly relax in the evening. I clock off between 5 and 6 and still have loads of energy to get out and do something. Its great.

    The boss has said they prefer it as well as it allows us to have local reps all over the country without any extra office costs beyond like a few £100 if someone wants to upgrade their home office a bit. Literally negligible compared to corporate office rents.

14. Don’t know about exercising, but going by the comments from people who WFH then it’s certainly more time sleeping.

15. I even get to see my child most days. This must not stand!

16. There seems to be (in my experience) a correlation between ‘needing’ to be in the office and being less competent. Almost as if the people who don’t contribute as much in output

17. I don’t know how I’d find time to go to the gym if I had to somehow fit a commute into my day as well. And I don’t even have kids.

18. Well, yeah, I don’t think I know anybody who actually wanted to be up two hours earlier to go stand at the bus stop.

19. I have just used ChatGPT and found out I saved £1800 and 17 days by working from home

20. So they’re healthier, happier and therefore less likely to suffer from chronic mental or physical health conditions or later life health deterioration. Sleep is one of the best health indicators

21. Oh no! People who have found a healthy work-life balance!! Whatever shall we doooooooo?!

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