The one-way travel time from employees' home to their employer's permanent address was an average of 2023 minutes in 32.
Home workers appear to live further away from work more often than their colleagues who regularly travel to the workplace. A recent analysis conducted by TNO and CBS shows that the average travel time for home workers in the Netherlands is significantly longer. According to the National Working Conditions Survey 2023, the average travel time for employees who sometimes work from home was 40 minutes each way, while those who always work on location only travel an average of 25 minutes.
This difference in travel time can be an important factor in the choice to work from home. According to the survey data, more than half of remote workers cite the loss of travel time or expenses as a crucial reason for working from home. This aspect of working from home offers clear benefits, such as less time wasted on travel and a reduction in travel costs.
In addition, the survey shows that people who mainly work from home have to travel an average of 53 minutes if they do have to go to their workplace. This is more than double the time that location workers need. This group of employees often consists of people who either live further from their work or work for employers located in less accessible locations.
The survey also highlights the different reasons why employees choose to work from home or on location. In addition to avoiding travel time and costs, it appears that many home workers find that they are more productive at home and can better combine their work with private obligations. About 57 percent of home workers indicate that flexibility in combining work and private life is the main reason for working from home. In contrast, many choose to work on location to maintain social contacts, which is considered essential for team spirit and staying abreast of developments within the company.
Why working from home is attractive: the long drive to the office.
In practice, travel time varies significantly between different groups of employees. Employees with a short travel time (maximum 20 minutes) are generally less inclined to work from home, while those with a longer travel time (more than 30 minutes) are more likely to choose to work from home. This suggests that travel time has a significant influence on work location preference.
These insights are valuable for organizations that strive for a balanced working environment in which both the benefits of working from home and working on location are optimally utilized. They can not only develop policies that take into account the travel burden of their employees, but also offer facilities and support that promote working from home where this is useful and desirable.
