During the COVID era, commuting long
hours
to
work
was a norm for most societies, especially in prominent cities where businesses and companies were usually more concentrated in the central areas of the city.
However
, the way COVID has changed the way we
work
in recent years, begs the question of whether spending tremendous time on travel has more positive or negative effects on
employees
' lives and well-being. In
this
essay, I will explore both aspects and provide my thought on how commute can affect
work
-life balance.
On the positive side, commuting to
work
and presenting themselves to the offices
instead
of meeting each other merely on video call applications every once in a while can build a better sense of teamwork and foster a good relationship between
employees
since it enables
employees
to have face-to-face interactions.
Moreover
, Being able to physically
work
together can accelerate and improve
work
performance because they are able to brainstorm and discuss issues in person which
as a result
, leads them to be able to quickly come up with better ideas and solutions.
However
,
although
it can bring some positive effects, spending a considerable amount of time on the commute can have plenty of disadvantages as well as can severely damage
employees
' well-being. Particularly in developing countries with overall poor public transportation.
For example
, people who live in the outer areas of the city of Bangkok have to spend roughly two
hours
on travel to and back from
work
each day. Having to spend one or two
hours
of commute each day and combining it with already long working
hours
barely left the time for
employees
to get enough rest and do other activities to release themselves from the stress from
work
.
This
lack of
work
-life balance can cause damage to both physical and mental health and negatively affects
employees
' ability to perform
on Change preposition
show examples
their tasks as well.
In conclusion, even though commuting to
work
can have certain advantages, they are incomparable to the negative toll it can take on one's physical and mental condition.
Therefore
, I believe that cutting long
hours
of travelling to retain
work
-life balance and enable people to do other essential activities to preserve their well-being is the trajectory business should take going into the future.