In a new survey, eight in 10 workers said a free ride would convince them to return to the office. Workers said longer commutes, in particular, could disrupt their work-life balance. Average travel costs have increased significantly since the pandemic.
If you’re an employer trying to attract employees into the office, perks like ping pong tables, free snacks, and trendy décor are unlikely to make a difference. Instead, consider a more practical benefit: Covers their travel expenses.
About 8 in 10 workers say they would be more willing to return to the office if their employer paid for their travel, according to a survey of 1,038 workers by Ringover, a brick-and-mortar sales and recruiting platform presently.
Ringover asked remote employees (or those who had worked remotely until recently) what the conditions would be for their return to the office.
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Workers spend an average of $8,466 per year, or about $700 per month, on commuting to the office, accounting for gas, car maintenance, lost income from commuting, auto insurance, etc. according to a 2023 Bankrate survey.
This is a sharp increase from 2019 when average annual commuting costs ranged from a low of $2,000 in states like West Virginia to a high of $5,000 in North Dakota.
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And although commute times in some cities have decreased since the pandemic, the average one-way commute to the office is still about 27 minutes, according to the New York Times.
That’s about an hour spent commuting to work each day, and many remote employees now see that time as time that could be better spent on their personal lives. Of course, there is always an exception.
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A class of “super passengers” is willing to spend hundreds of dollars on their trip to save costs elsewhere. Some workers have moved to smaller, less expensive cities during the pandemic, but still work in more expensive urban areas.
They say the money they save on rent exceeds the cost of airfare, hotel prices, and even the hassle of planning long-term travel.
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