THE HUMAN COST OF COMMUTING
Kay Hall, SVP Global Advisory Services EMEA • July 31, 2019
Whether your employer initiated the commuting arrangement or whether you chose to avoid relocating your family, this arrangement is hard. Putting compliance issues aside, the toll on our physical and mental health is higher than we often realize. For this reason, many best practice organisations are starting to monitor this population more closely, and global mobility commuter policies generally cap long distance commuter arrangements to 6 months. According to Airinc’s 2019 Mobility Outlook Survey, commuter policies are the number one global mobility policy that companies want to develop right now. Why is there so much commuting, and why is it so problematic?
Why Commute At All?
Sometimes long-distance commuting makes sense. It’s possible that an employer wants to avoid the expense of an international relocation, but often it’s at the request of the employee for practical reasons, most often to avoid disruption to the family, such as the spouse’s career or the children’s education. This is ironic as in my view (and experience of both), commuting is the most disruptive to a family in the long run. Whereas a traditional international relocation is initially very stressful and a major upheaval for the entire family, once the dust settles, most assignees enjoy this unique life experience, which broadens our horizons and leaves lasting memories. Commuters on the other hand, are faced with minimal stress to begin with, but the stress gradually increases over time as all the travel and family separation takes its toll. The suitcase remains a permanent fixture in your home décor and worse of all, there is often no end in sight.
Effects on the Family Unity
So, what happens? When commuting extends too long, the traveling employee is often physically and mentally exhausted from time zone changes, long workdays and inadequate sleep. Through no-one’s fault, the daily chores are left to the at-home partner who must absorb the full load on top of a job and often parenting. This leaves both partners physically exhausted such that the little time they do spend together is difficult to enjoy.
Resentment can build up with one partner envying the commuter’s jet-setting lifestyle and abundance of alone time. The commuting parent, on the other hand, will miss seeing their children and playing an active role in their daily lives, feeling more and more like a visitor in their own home. The ‘at-home' lifestyle is viewed by the other as easy; after all, that parent doesn’t have to travel each week and live out of a suitcase. Communication inevitably suffers and two parallel lives start to emerge. There are few companies supporting their commuters with these personal challenges, but that could be hugely beneficial to employee wellbeing.
Socially, extended commuting arrangements also leave their mark. When free family time is so precious, there’s a tendency to protect it to the exclusion of friends and neighbors. During the working week, both partners are faced with a more subtle change of status, neither fitting in the couples nor the singles scene. Isolation can creep up on you and now you are well and truly on the slippery slope.
Looking to the Future
Thankfully many companies are aware of the human challenges of commuting and that lifestyle support from the employer benefits all parties; whereas until now compliance has been the main driver of commuter policies. Strategic Global mobility departments will often push back and advise the business when an assignment type is unsuitable. Our general awareness of the importance of mental health has helped pave the way. With the changing nature of the workforce, the growth of the gig economy and contractors, this will become ever more challenging for companies.
“While we have always supported short-term commuting arrangements as a necessary tool in facilitating international moves during term-time, for example, our experience shows that long-term commuting arrangements can place unacceptably high pressures on both the expat and their family.” -- Gill Gordon, HR director Schlumberger UK & chairman of Permits Foundation
What is your organization doing to minimize the emotional, physical and social toll of commuting?
Does your policy extend to contractors?
Share your stories below, your ideas and experiences are great to hear!
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Sam combines a bilingual, multicultural upbringing with deep global mobility experience. Born in Belgium to a British father and Belgian mother, she began her career in education—later moving into consultancy and, in 2003, into international mobility. At NetExpat since 2009, Sam blends operational excellence with advisory insight, working directly with clients and assignees to design people‑centered solutions. She thrives on building trusted relationships across cultures and supporting family wellbeing, partner careers, and sustainable assignments. Her practical, empathetic approach turns complex mobility challenges into positive outcomes for organizations and the people they move.
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