So what happens...

wymondham

MacMickster wrote: »

As a consequence, a 2 hour commute is now regarded as the norm for all but the best paid employees working in the major cities.

wow, what a waste of your life!

Graham_Devon

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Takes an hour to get from Southend to Liverpool Street on the train.

Is it that bad?

Well, I dunno. My commute takes 50 mins door to door and thats enough for me.

It's a whole extra working day sat in traffic.

I remember someone in London telling me to use the train and it was only 45 minutes. However, they didn't tell me about the 20 minute (and 10 min waiting time) bus journey to the station, then 20 min wait for the train, and then 20 minute walk to the office from the train station the other end.

What was a "45 minute! journey turned into 2 hours. Yes, the train journey itself took 45 mins. I'd have been better off in the car.

Mary_Hartnell

It probably takes 2 hours to get to work in hell holes like Cairo and Mexico City too, it is the price we pay for the invasion of peasants from the countryside.

GeorgeHowell

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Takes an hour to get from Southend to Liverpool Street on the train.

Is it that bad?

It's not too bad once you get past Romford ....

coastline

In the last two booms the ratio between London and the rest of the UK hit a high of more than 2 times.
History suggests it settles back around 1.5 times...this happens when houseowners leave the City for cheaper areas..known as a ripple effect.
Maybe its about to begin ..??

IveSeenTheLight

mystic_trev wrote: »

London doesn't operate like other places in the UK. Most of the people that work there will get pay deals that reflect the increases in traveling costs etc.

It's not just London.
My last two interviews included the candidates wishing travelling costs to be considered in their remuneration offer.

I have team members who choose to live 40-50, even 66 miles away (Elgin - Aberdeen) because they get better value for money on property.

The offset is their travelling time / costs, but it's their choice, nobody is forcing them to live so far away.

As for Health and Stress levels concerns, we have offered one of the team to work from home on a Friday as we already work a half day on a Friday and we thought it would be better for him on that day.

However, he travels in daily with his son and he enjoys the opportunity to have a daily chat with him to / from work.

I don't therefore think there is a direct link to health and stress levels depending on your commute.

I think this is a personal circumstance and if it is affecting your health / stress levels, then the individual needs to think of alternative options.

IveSeenTheLight

coastline wrote: »

In the last two booms the ratio between London and the rest of the UK hit a high of more than 2 times.
History suggests it settles back around 1.5 times...this happens when houseowners leave the City for cheaper areas..known as a ripple effect.
Maybe its about to begin ..??

In your analysis, do you believe the ripple effect pulls up the outlying areas to reduce the ratio to 1.5?

IveSeenTheLight

Mary_Hartnell wrote: »

It probably takes 2 hours to get to work in hell holes like Cairo and Mexico City too, it is the price we pay for the invasion of peasants from the countryside.

I worked in Cairo in the summer.
The commute was approx 45 mins.

I worked in Malaysia where the commute was 1 hour with no traffic problems, however I had seen it take up to 2 hours (once because someone parked their car on a bridge to fish over the side)

I recall a program on TV about a woman who commuted from Leeds to London every morning / night.
She worked while on the train.

I think that those who do commute get used to it and generally don;t see it as an issue.

Personally, I didn't see it as an issue, however when I moved back to a 20 min walk to work, I wondered how I managed the 1 hour commute each morning and night.

Often it's not a problem / issue until your circumstances change and you realise what impact it may have had.

MacMickster

IveSeenTheLight wrote: »

I worked in Cairo in the summer.
The commute was approx 45 mins.

I worked in Malaysia where the commute was 1 hour with no traffic problems, however I had seen it take up to 2 hours (once because someone parked their car on a bridge to fish over the side)

I recall a program on TV about a woman who commuted from Leeds to London every morning / night.
She worked while on the train.

I think that those who do commute get used to it and generally don;t see it as an issue.

Personally, I didn't see it as an issue, however when I moved back to a 20 min walk to work, I wondered how I managed the 1 hour commute each morning and night.

Often it's not a problem / issue until your circumstances change and you realise what impact it may have had.

I suspect that age also plays a part. When young you are blessed with almost unlimited stamina. In my early 20s I would think nothing of partying several times a week in a nightclub until 2am, walking home via a kebab shop getting to bed at 3, getting up at 6.30 and then spending over an hour commuting to work.

Now, somewhat older (and wiser?), I wouldn't entertain spending 12hours per week travelling to and from work. Spending that time walking, may be a different matter however.

As for those who claim to be able to work whilst travelling, why not just work from home a couple of days per week. Clearly there is no need to be in the office full time, and I'm sure that they would be far more productive at home than on a train.

grizzly1911

MacMickster wrote: »

I suspect that age also plays a part. When young you are blessed with almost unlimited stamina. In my early 20s I would think nothing of partying several times a week in a nightclub until 2am, walking home via a kebab shop getting to bed at 3, getting up at 6.30 and then spending over an hour commuting to work.

Now, somewhat older (and wiser?), I wouldn't entertain spending 12hours per week travelling to and from work. Spending that time walking, may be a different matter however.

As for those who claim to be able to work whilst travelling, why not just work from home a couple of days per week. Clearly there is no need to be in the office full time, and I'm sure that they would be far more productive at home than on a train.

I think people can either mentally do it or they can't and the stress/drain/physical wearing down is cumulative.

When younger I was often commuting 1hour plus in heavy traffic. I then commuted 120 round trip for 6months which was not pleasant. i then moved closer.

I had a job where I was regularly traveling but that didn't bother me as it was all part of the job

I have done London commutes for short periods and personally hated it.

I have a friend who lives on the west coast of Scotland . He is way up in some organisation and has global responsibilities, including the UK, so doesn't really matter where he lives. He has a nice pile overlooking the sea and has used it for business away days his "colleagues" are always amazed at what he has compared to London living.

I have a couple of other friends and relatives that are often "commuting" globally, admittedly with periods in country, so I guess things just move on.