Survey Shows That Canadians Are No Longer About That Commuting Life

For many of us around the city, commuting was a major headache among our days. Subways were crammed, sometimes delayed, and peak rush-hour traffic made your commute 10x longer. During that time, we didn’t know any better, but as we’re approaching a potential “post-pandemic” stage, a study done by the International Workplace Group (IWG) is showing that many Canadians are no longer up to commuting like before.

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The Study

The IWG study represented 1,509 employed Canadians (i.e. full-time, part-time or casual/temporary workers, as well as business owners and self-employed Canadians) who are members of the online Angus Reid Forum. The sample was balanced and weighted to census on age, gender and region and conducted in both English and French.

The Results

I’d like to say that I’m shocked by the results….but I’m not. Over the past year, many of us realized that you can do all the same work at home all while not having to deal with the long weekly commutes and saving $$$. We’ve all become accustom to our new routines at home, so I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to go back into office!

Findings:

• Two thirds (66%) of employed Canadians want to work either in a hybrid model or within a workplace that’s 15 minutes from home.
• Respondents are about three times more likely to want to work in a hybrid manner compared to working at an office more than 15 minutes from home.
• If required to work in the office five days a week, 29% said they would look for another job
• Nearly one-third prefer a commute of no longer than 15 minutes and 68% want their commute to work to be no longer than 30 minutes each way,

The pandemic created an appetite for a hybrid work setting and IWG is revolving their study around this notion of the “15 Minute Commute”. They’re predicting that once we return back to normalcy, the majority of people will only want to commute up to 15 minutes.

The Perks Of Working From Home

Participants of the survey were asked why they would only do a 15 minute commute and they said the perks of working closer to home were:

• More time to prepare healthy meals (76%)
• More time to exercise (71%)
• Less money spent on clothing (61%)
• Greater ability to try local businesses for the first time (47%)
• More time for employed parents to spend with their kids (89%) 

Wayne Berger, CEO of the Americas for IWG says that this 15 Minute Commute will be possible if workplaces that allow a hybrid working setting become more flexible. This might be our new future, and if it benefits the population positively, why not?

“Employees have realized that hours have been wasted commuting to an office they don’t necessarily need to be in, and businesses have seen that a hybrid model not only means happier and more engaged employees, it also offers significant cost savings”

Wayne Berger