Commuting has always been a necessary part of an in-person work schedule, but workers are increasingly dissatisfied with the long trek in, and they have been adjusting their commute times and workday accordingly. Unfortunately, the trend of changing transit times has cut into actual time spent in the office, with more employees heading in later and leaving earlier.

According to the 2024 Owl Labs State of Hybrid Work Report, about 85% of workers commute up to 45 minutes one way, and it’s hurting their productivity. Nearly three in four workers say they’d be more productive without a commute. New commuting behavior is reflecting this frustration with the amount of time it takes to travel to and from work.

With 44% of workers still participating in “coffee badging,” or showing up to the office just to get credit for being there, the truncated workday commute has become normalized. Attempts to dodge rush hour traffic and shorten the commute have paradoxically created more traffic at previously non-peak times through the middle of the day and evening. Fewer workers are sticking to a typical workday schedule and 9 to 5 commute; instead, 10 to 4 is more normal, with increased midday congestion as more employees go into the office only when necessary for meetings after adjusting to the flexibility of WFH. According to an INRIX report analyzing traffic patterns, traditional “rush” times have been replaced by lingering midday congestion, with the average US driver losing an additional 42 hours stuck in traffic. 

Eliminating a mandatory commute might be a more important factor in retaining employees than employers realize: in fact, 40% of workers would look for a new job if work flexibility was taken away in their roles. 

There’s a growing sentiment among workers that the daily office commute is happening more because it’s the way work has typically been done than because it truly improves their productivity or work quality. 75% of workers say they believe they’re required to commute because of traditional expectations, up from 69% in 2023. 

Many employees are thinking about what else they could do during their commuting hours.  Workers say they’d use the extra time saved without a commute to become happier, more well-rounded employees. Nearly three-quarters say they’d spend more time with their families, cooking healthier meals, and being more productive. 

While employers have offered benefits and perks to try to lure employees back into the office, the sheer amount of time a commute can take has become a serious factor for work-life balance. Perks actually rank as the least important factor in a job: just 60 percent of workers ranked it as an important factor (for context, salary was key for 94% of respondents). 

Not having enough flexibility in their work was the second largest concern for employees in 2024’s State of Hybrid Work report, but “being forced into the office full time” was up there too in the rankings, as a concern for 46% of employees. New commuting behavior reflects the combination of the diminished power of “cool” office perks and the increasing value workers place on flexibility in work styles versus full-time RTO. 

Hybrid workers also spend on average $61 a day when working from the office, compared to only $19 a day at home. Including not only the financial burden but also the time spent commuting, days in the office are getting costly. It’s no wonder that many workers who had been working remotely or in a hybrid format since the pandemic are resisting a full-time return to the office.

When 8 in 10 employers have lost talent to return to office mandates this year, it should be a sign to companies to think deeply about the motivations behind their office policies. Will RTO really achieve a company’s goal to improve collaboration and productivity, or is the reflex to return to a pre-pandemic norm of fully in-person workdays contributing to employee burnout and making employee retention more difficult?