If working from home is meant to help cut traffic congestion and carbon emissions, the green lobby should think again, experts claim.
The majority of people who spend part of their week logging in remotely actually end up driving more, new research shows.
In the wake of the pandemic, WFH has tempted employees to move out of towns and cities so they have longer commutes on days when they’re at their desks.
And when they’re at home, they’re also more likely to go to the shops or the gym or take on the school run.
The findings by Sussex University suggest WFH could be adding millions of traffic miles to Britain’s clogged roads. It states: ‘Teleworking will only provide a positive contribution to energy and climate goals if [government can] reduce the attractiveness of long commutes and discourage households from relocating to areas of low population density.
The majority of people who spend part of their week logging in remotely actually end up driving more, new research shows (Stock Image)
In the wake of the pandemic, WFH has tempted employees to move out of towns and cities so they have longer commutes on days when they’re at their desks (Stock Image)
‘Most teleworkers travel further each week than non-teleworkers.’
The study – published in the journal Travel Behaviour & Society – analysed data from the National Travel Survey, which tracks the habits of around 13,000 households across England.
Researchers detected patterns emerging between 2005 and 2019, as WFH became more popular.
Hybrid workers added 15 miles to their weekly travel despite commuting less often.
They also made an extra non-work trip, increasing their tally by another six miles, making a total of 21 miles. Almost two-thirds of the additional mileage was by car.
Only those who spent most of their working lives at home saw a benefit, cutting their weekly travel by 14 miles, but they made up just a quarter of the WFH workforce.
Before the pandemic, only five per cent of workers were based mainly at home. But that figure has now more than doubled, and 39 per cent spend at least some of their week in the house rather than in the office.