In a post-COVID-19 pandemic world, more and more companies are pushing employees to return to in office work. As a result, so called super commuting is on the rise.
A recent study that garnered some new attention on Friday, Sept. 27, found that workers who travel 75 miles or more to get to their jobs has grown by 32% post-pandemic. Researchers said that the average super commuter is spending nearly five hours a day on the road.
While spending hours of your life stuck in traffic is an obvious downside, if you only have to do it two to three times a week, it knocks out some of the hassle, which many companies are doing.
Plain and simple, employers want their workers back in the office and not even the big wigs are getting a break.
For instance, Starbucks’ new CEO Brian Niccol secured an agreement before his hire to stay at his home in Newport Beach and commute to the company’s headquarters in Seattle, which is a nearly 1,000-mile trip, but it keeps him line with Starbucks’ three days a week in office requirement. However, he does take the company’s private jet to get to in-person work.
He told employees to do the same, not the jet part, the work part. Niccol said, “You need to figure out where you need to be to get your job done, then do that. We’re all adults here.” Niccol added, “If success requires us being together more often than not, let’s be together more often.”
He’s not the only CEO towing a tough line. Amazon is also pulling back on its remote work policy with a restrict return to office mandate, and Dell won’t allow employees who work remotely to be eligible for promotions.
As a result, more employees are buckling up and spending the gas money to get to where they need to be. Especially in Washington D.C., which saw the largest increase in super commuters, where numbers doubled post-pandemic. New York came in second in the study with a nearly 90% increase in super commuters.