Commuting costs affecting decision to return to office, research suggests

However, higher heating bills might also impact such decisions.

Alan Jones
Thursday 05 May 2022 09:10 EDT
Commuters at Waterloo station, in London (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Commuters at Waterloo station, in London (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The rising cost of travel has caused many workers to reconsider commuting to the office, although things may change in the winter because of high heating bills, new research suggests.

A survey of 500 UK workers indicated that almost half plan to stay away from offices because of the high cost of commuting.

A study of thousands of employees in several other countries, including the United States, Australia and France, found similar results.

Technology firm Citrix said its research indicated that one in four UK workers will return to offices more often in the winter to reduce the cost of heating their home.

Traci Palmer of Citrix said: “It’s a classic cost-benefit analysis.

Employees have learned they can engage and be just as productive working from home, and as fuel prices continue to increase, they are questioning whether the benefits of being in the office outweigh the time and money associated with commuting.

“The key to keeping employees engaged and productive lies in creating work-from-anywhere experiences that are seamless, fuel connection and collaboration, and empower people to do their best work, regardless of their location.”

Two thirds of UK workers surveyed said their employers should help them with the costs of travelling to the office.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in