In the last post, we discussed some of the many negative health effects associated with stressful daily work commutes. After working a long shift, an hour-long commute in rush hour traffic isn’t just a mild annoyance — it can seriously affect your overall quality of life.
There are countless virtual offices and meeting solutions that can help you avoid these issues, but having a full understanding of the potential negative effects can help you make the best decisions about your work-life balance.
Here’s part two of our guide that will explore some more realistic effects that daily commutes have on the mind and body.
Increased Risk Of Depression
It may sound extreme, but it’s very true. Researchers from the University School of Medicine in Saint Louis and the Cooper Institute in Dallas discovered that workers who commute at least 10 miles one way have a higher risk of developing depression and even social isolation. If you regularly commute long distances to and from work, and if you’re feeling particularly down for an ongoing period of time, then don’t hesitate to discuss your concerns with a mental health professional. And as mentioned, you can also invest in different working environments. Virtual meeting solutions can effectively eliminate the mental health effects associated with stressful commutes.
Lower Overall Life Satisfaction
A report from the U.K.’s Office of National Statistics found some shocking results regarding even medium length commutes and level of overall life satisfaction. And unlike some of the other effects listed here, this also applies to commuters who take the bus, or even ride their bikes to work.
“People with commutes of any length experience lower life satisfaction and happiness than people with no commutes at all. Riding a bus for 30 minutes or longer was associated with the lowest levels of life satisfaction and happiness, but even if you’re lucky enough to bike to work and enjoy the beautiful outdoors, your satisfaction takes a nosedive commensurate to how long you spend doing it,” writes Carolyn Kylstra in Time magazine.
Whether you commute by car, carpool, train, bus, or bike, the longer your commute, the higher your chances of suffering from a variety of nasty ailments. And while not everyone has the luxury of changing their job at the drop of a hat, your commute should absolutely be a factor when making career decisions. Likewise, employers should consider whether their employees would benefit from some type of work-from-home policy or virtual meetings solutions.
Ultimately, Sun Microsystems has found that employees working at home use 60% of the time they would have spent commuting actually doing work. With that in mind, it’s safe to say that virtual office services and meeting solutions can help you take control of your work-life balance. For more information about virtual office spaces here in Wilmington, Delaware, contact Stat International.
