{"id":16572,"date":"2021-11-23T13:19:11","date_gmt":"2021-11-23T13:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/?p=16572"},"modified":"2021-11-23T17:24:38","modified_gmt":"2021-11-23T17:24:38","slug":"which-day-to-commute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/instant-offices-news\/which-day-to-commute\/","title":{"rendered":"Hybrid working: why you should commute on Monday and stay home on Tuesday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Research around different commuting methods in eight of the UK’s largest cities has revealed which day of the week to travel into the office for the shortest trip.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hybrid working is fast becoming the norm, with four in five<\/a> UK companies allowing all or some employees to work from home at least a few days each week. The ideal balance is still up for debate as we weigh up when to work from home and focus vs when to go into the office for in-person collaboration, and 1 in 5<\/a> Brits admit their commuting patterns are up in the air.<\/p>\n

If you’re still deliberating which days to commute in, our latest research can help.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By analysing average car, train and bike travel times and costs during peak commuting hours on Google Maps, we’ve identified which days of the week offer the longest and shortest travel times, as well as which city has the fastest commuting times across Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

Commute on a Monday to collaborate<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Monday is officially the number one day to travel into the office by car. Driving to work on a Monday gives you the shortest commute of the week, and it’s also the most affordable way to travel compared to other methods.<\/p>\n

Around 68%<\/a> agree commuting is ideal for separating home and work, listening to music and enjoying ‘me time’. So despite Monday being named the most stressful<\/a> day of the week, a short commute and in-person office banter could be the ideal way to kick off the workweek.<\/p>\n

Work from home on a Tuesday to focus<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Thanks to the flexibility of hybrid working, we now have the choice to work remotely on heavy workload days, so if you’d like to save some time, avoid driving to work on a Tuesday. Our research shows a drive to the office takes up to 15 minutes longer than it does on a Monday, which means you’ll lose around two hours a month to travel.<\/p>\n

Cutting the commute on Tuesdays gives us valuable time to work without interruption at home. Research also shows Tuesday <\/a>is the most productive day of the week.<\/p>\n

Commuting by car is affordable, but traffic isn’t worth it in these cities<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Driving beats the train for affordability, with an average train ticket costing almost three times more than what you’d spend on fuel for the trip, but is it worth it on lousy traffic days?<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, not in London, where commuters could sit in around 18 hours of traffic a week. Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh follow close behind. On bad traffic days, commuters could spend almost 11 hours a week travelling to work and back.<\/p>\n

Of all the cities analysed, Glasgow and Birmingham come out tops for the shortest amount of time drivers could spend in traffic, at 7 hours and 7 hours and 10 minutes respectively.<\/p>\n

At the same time, driving regularly doesn’t do the environment any favours, as CO2 emissions more than double when we use a car over a train.<\/p>\n

Work vs Office life \u2013 How to Choose<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Post-pandemic, more companies are offering teams the freedom to decide where and how to work, with added flexibility meaning we can plan weeks around busy schedules.<\/p>\n

On days where you need to focus, working remotely can give you the space and time to get through tasks without the office distraction, and saving time on the commute gives you hours back in the day.<\/p>\n

Going into the office can foster creativity and connections and help you be more productive on collaboration days requiring in-person strategy or brainstorming sessions. By choosing to travel in on a day where the commute is shorter, you can also travel more efficiently.<\/p>\n

Which day to commute across major UK cities<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Travelling by train is the fastest overall, but for those commuting by car, these are the days when travelling to work is shortest and longest.<\/p>\n

Manchester<\/strong><\/p>\n