Commute time is one of the widespread headaches for corporate workers in Africa.
A compiled list of problems from bad road systems to uncomfortable transportation vehicles, amounts to multiple hours of traffic time and stress to get to work and to get home from work.
Research from Africapay.org shows that commute time ranges from an hour and a half to three hours, depending on geographical locations. The New York Times conducted research that shows that saving commuting time reduces stress levels for employees.
According to research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, remote and agile workers save about 60 million commuting hours per day. However, these hours are not spent on work.
Workers use the extra time they have for other leisure activities or to sleep, which improves the mental and physical health of the employees.
Younger employees are more likely to spend time on leisure activities, including going to bars and restaurants or working out; while older employees use their extra time on domestic work like cooking, cleaning, and childcare.
Spending commuting hours on non-work activities does not mean that remote employees are less productive. Several studies over the past few months show productivity while working remotely from home is better than working in an office setting.
On average, those who work from home spend 10 minutes less a day being unproductive, work one more day a week, and are 47% more productive. Research also shows that working remotely can increase productivity up to 77%. Performance can increase up to 13% by working from home.
You may consider the above statistics, when making a decision about having an agile or remote workforce!
