The other day a friend of mine, Clare, posted about a day in her life. In it she mentions that she would have to get up at 5.30 if she wanted to have breakfast at home. Obviously she has a long commute to work.
I also travel a fair distance to work. Distance doesn't bother me (but traffic does, as well as unnecessarily imposed speed limits, grrr) and it was something I factored in when applying for my current position. To me, job satisfaction is more appealing than having a job in a convenient location. Sure, both would be good, but that is not always possible. As public transport is not an option, I make the most of my commute by listening to podcasts or audio books that I want to catch up on.
As a manager, I think it's healthy for an organisation to have staff who do not all live locally. To me it shows commitment and dedication and highlights the fact that these staff members really want to work for us. They wouldn't travel if they didn't want to be there. I've been involved in a lot of recruitment and it always rings warning bells when, during an interview, an applicant states that the main reason they have applied for the job is because it is close to home for them. I've seen too many instances of unhappy people who stay in their workplace because it is close to home and so very convenient for them. They become bitter and negative - this is not only demoralising for them, but it is not good for staff morale and not conducive to good working relations. It isn't a situation I would want my staff or colleagues to be in.
Do you have a long commute to work? What are your thoughts on this?
Sunday 26 June 2011
Post 18, Why I travel
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5 comments:
I have a long commute of over an hour on the train. I do it for a number of reasons- I like the commute time as time to myself, I enjoy my work and the pay is good for my part-time position.
I have considered seeking work closer to home, but as I live in a regional centre, positions are limited.
This is the longest commute I have had- in my first library job, I lived 10 minutes from MPOW, but then I moved from Geelong to Melbourne for my job!
I know of a couple of instances of staff citing proximity as a main reason for their wanting to work at a particular library and yes it can be quite a negative experience. There are times though, when I wish I was a little bit closer to home when I get a call about a sick child, or I want to go in a little bit late to attend school assembly.
I hear you. Would also be good when the school does a family shared lunch :). Strangely enough, the school is not so quick to call me at work now that I am not so accessible.
For me, it's not so much closeness to work as it is ease of travel.
In my last job, I had a really pleasant 45 min walk each way to work. Loved it, and loved that I could incorporate some exercise into my day.
Now, I either get the horribly slow bus populated by bogan losers, or am a passenger in our car while my partner drives, both of which i hate with a passion.
But my walking commute took longer. Go figure.
Fortunately, we will be moving house in the next few months and we're going to get a place close enough to my work so I can walk again.
I started to write a comment and when it started to get long, decided to write a post of my own! http://jobeaz.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/commute/
Never a truer word Jo. Glad we have had opportunities to talk about these things :)
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