Is this a 'normal' commute for most people?

[Celia24]

Im struggling with current commute and can't tell if it's mainly because I got so used to work from home and need perspective!

I joined a company during lockdown and worked from home for over a year. When I joined they said I might need to come in twice a week later on (not as much as other people as I live further away as do two other colleagues). They have only just made office working mandatory a year and a half in, initially trying for more days, but there was a bit of an uproar.

So now I'm travelling in twice a week 1 hour 50-2 hours door to door and I'm already struggling. Am I being ridiculous? In my old job it was 25 mins but I loathed the job!

That is long. You could offer to do do 2hours a week extra work for free in exchange for only going in once a week. Win Win.

I think that the fact the journey is walk , bus train , walk makes it worse than just one mode of transport.

I definitely wouldn't want a commute of that length, although the fact you can sit on a train (and presumably work or read or MN) does make it far more realistic than if you were driving that far apart from when they are on strike.
The fact it is only 2 days a week would make it more manageable too.

But, as a pp said, you presumably factored that in when applying for, and then accepting the job.
Whether it is worth it for you depends so much on all the other circumstances - mostly, how much you enjoy the job, but also what other options you have, and if you have childcare you need to work round and so forth.

I would certainly be having discussions with managers as to why they want you in to sit of video calls. Completely different if you were working collaboratively with colleagues in the office.

I did a similar commute for 10 years, 5 days a week, but for double your salary. It was horrendous and it killed every aspect of my life. I stopped 5 years ago and took a pay cut for a local job. Best decision ever

I do 2.5hrs door to door commute but just once a week, some weeks I have to do it twice and that's VERY hard, I'm shattered and the prep/recovery for the days at work leave little space for the days either side of my long commute (I'm either going to bed early or so tired). I do earn £120k though so it's worthwhile for me - I don't think I'd do it for less.

I have a v supportive DH who works fully from home though, which helps. We're about to have a baby so I'm not sure if I'll want to do the same once I'm back from mat leave

It's long - it's the bus bits and changes that make it tiring really. Frequency of buses and trains also makes a huge difference.

However, doing it only twice a week should be manageable, especially if you can work slightly shorter on those days and slightly longer on others. It's definitely worth framing it as your commute over a week - the 3 days of zero commute make a long commute possible on the others. But ultimately it's your life, and if it's too much for you then it's too much.

Could you cycle instead of bus? It seems more hassle but can feel the opposite, giving you more control and means less waiting around. If you stay over how much of the cost be offset by savings in train and bus fares?

That’s a long commute, but not too bad if only twice a week max.

I had a 15 min commute via bus re. my previous job (although was fully WFH due to Covid). Prior to that role, my commute was 45-60 mins via car in inclu. nursery and school drop offs and collections. I ditched the job with the 15 min commute due to workplace toxicity. I’m now much happier in a job with nicer colleagues with a 45-60 min commute via tube inclu. one school run. Hybrid working is being implemented. I work 4 days, so I’ll be aiming to commute to the office 1-2 times pw.

@whitemats I think this thread is confirming that I need to look for a similar type of role but with a higher salary. I like the job a lot and it's a shame.

I do wonder if I go once a week then alternate with twice a week if anyone would actually say anything. I'd find that far more manageable.

Do you have any kind of flexi working options you could apply for, so you could have it in your contract you're just in once a week? If you love the job it seems a shame not to try all options to try and make it work for you (doing a one day/two day cycle per fortnight is a plan too - my boss is so busy he doesn't seem to notice if I sometimes skip a week). Good luck!

This is pretty much my exact commute. I used to do it five days a week but now do it three days a week. It’s via train so I work on the train too and I guess I am just used to it.

Mine’s an hour each way (when I actually go in). I couldn’t do more than that without being absolutely shattered.

That said, I do work long days so if it was a commute where I had a train seat and table, I could do double that and get some extra work in. As it is, my 1 hour is disjointed and has a bit of walking so there’s no opportunity to work during that time.

Nooo that isn't a standard commute and doing that twice a week is not good for you.

My commute is about an hour door to door. I do it about three times per week.That's enough. Most of my colleagues have a much lower commute time so no, yours isn't standard in my experience.

Its a very average commute from my commuter town. Most people would drive to near the station 10 mins, walk rest of way, 10 mins, one hour on the train, walk to tube 5 mins, then tube and final bit of walking, 30 mins. And everybody used to do it 5x per week. But obvs. most manage not to go in every day now.

I also work shorter days.

I increased my salary by changing jobs, although office is further away than previous job.

I have a 10 min walk either side of a 20 min tube journey (avoiding the expensive London Tube Zone 1).

Although, DP is supportive with DC and childcare, I couldn’t and wouldn’t want a commute that is more than 60 mins due to childcare responsibilities and maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

Good luck in finding your next role.

Oh god no, mines 45 mins with traffic and I think that's too long

Hi OP - I think that is a very long commute/too far for the money and will only get worse as winter sets in

For the salary staying over is not economical so I’d be looking for something else unfortunately

Sounds awful . Mine is sometimes 40 mins by car stuck in bumper to bumper traffic with frequent gridlocks. This drives me mad.

I did the same commute for many years, 2-3 times a week. Higher salary and quite liked the job itself and my team mates. I started out treating it as work time, trying to be productive and that didn’t work well. When I consciously chose to make it more ‘me time’ with audiobooks, podcasts, taking a thermos with hot chocolate or similar, it was more manageable. Days when trains failed or the weather was shocking were still miserable. Now have a shorter commute but the difference isn’t as big as I thought it would be

Forgot to mention that although I previously drove to work in comfort for 45 - 60 mins, the traffic was awful most of the time and I was always pressured for time as my commute included both school and nursery runs prior to COVID.

As with most of London, the Government quietly messed up the roads during the lockdowns, so commuting via car is no longer an option for me as the roads are now car parks! What would have been a 30 min car journey to work prior to Covid, now takes 60 mins!

All the best op, for me, gives extra reading time ect while on the train. @Celia24

I don’t think there is a ‘most’ here as commutes vary so much. Mine is a ten minute drive, DH commuted 2 hours each way, 5 days a week for years into London.

It's a long commute, but not as tiring as driving.

Why don't you try to do something pleasant in the train? Read a book, listen to some music or a podcast, etc.

If you have a seat a train ride can be quite soothing, really.

Lol, should have read through your posts.... but seriously, enjoy the commute. Would you get an hour to just sit and do whatever you want if you were at home? Or would you fill that time up with jobs?

I'm in a similar salary but that commute would kill me!
I've never had a job that's been more than 15 mins away. My current one is a 10 minute drive.

Fell asleep for half an hour and woke up to the replies 😂 bed for me...

That's it @notacooldad - I was thinking am I being a bit ridiculous and just got too used to wfh as people probably did that type of commute 5 days a week back in the day? I think I'd probably have more motivation to push through on a higher salary.

I already negotiated to 2 days as they were trying to force us in more often. I don't think my manager really grasps what the commute is like. My colleague on a similar commute who lives near me is also struggling.