Commuting to work by car: Is travel time leisure time?
Abstract
During recent decades, the percentage of working individuals who commuted to work and back home has increased in most countries. Mean commuting distances and commuting times have also increased. For many working individuals, commuting by car is stressful, is time-consuming, and prevents recovery from work demands. Many individuals work or tend to ruminate about work issues while commuting and, therefore, do not detach mentally from work. For others, commuting helps detach from work and helps segregate work and private life (commuting and boundary management). This chapter sheds light on absolute and relative commuting time characteristics and their relation to health and recovery from work demands. Beyond physical commuting stressors like duration, delay, and traffic, individual commuting appraisals play a crucial role in whether commuting is experienced as a stressor. In addition, the current chapter discusses commuting measures (subjective and objective indicators). The chapter outlines research on commuting and recovery that analyses commuting demands jointly with work and private demands. Finally, the chapter frameworks how flexible work times and places, including working from home, may help reduce commuting demands and facilitate recovery from work.
Date Issued
2024-12
Publication Type
Book Section
Subject(s)
Language(s)
en
Additional Credits
Publisher
Routledge (United Kingdom)
ISBN
9781032564241
Related URL(s)
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003435471-3/commuting-work-car-achim-elfering-fabrice-huber?context=ubx&refId=273f7dba-bb3a-4d68-9d6a-110bcd704a65
Access(Rights)
metadata.only