What’s Your Commute Costing You?

With record-high gas prices, the commute to and from work is more expensive than ever.

Comments

  1. Dianne

    I requested to work a 4-day work week and was denied due to supervision reasons. Which doesn’t make any since to me, as I go unsupervised all of the time.

  2. Amanda

    I requested the same thing and they said it was because of coverage even though there are two people and one could handle the office alone and does for vacation/sick purposes. What it really boils down to is that they want you conveniently there EVERYDAY when they could make it with a compressed work week. It is selfishness as I see it.

  3. Angela

    As a manager I have not been able to change my work schedule to cope with the rising cost of gas. Although I have been trying to ease the pain for my employees. I have allowed my salaried employees to work 1 day from home. Also, we have a rewards program with some of our credit cards and I have been using the points to purchase gas cards for the non-salaried employees. Every little bit helps.

  4. Erik

    I try to ride my bike to work when I work locally but I work at three different sites. When I have to go north, I try to use my motorcycle as often as I can, its faster, cheaper and way more fun. No chance I could work from home though, I repair and maintain computers at area schools.

  5. Mary

    I stopped going home for lunch. I has cut my gas cost down quite a bit. I bring my lunch from home and go for a short walk when I can.

  6. Tiffany | Express Job Blogger

    @ Dianne & Amanda – Your situations seems to be fairly common right now. Many companies are not structured or don’t have policies to allow for these types of schedules. But, research shows more and more are adopting some sort of flexibility – that’s the good news!
    @ Angela – Thanks for sharing a manager’s perspective. It’s interesting that you bring up how you have to make the sacrifice to be in the office every day so your employees can work from home some. I love that you are also being innovative so you can offer help to both salaried and non-salaried employees. That’s the mark of a great boss.
    @ Erik – It’s great that you mention using a variety of different tactics to help cut gas costs. One friend mentioned that she even moved closer to work so her commute would be cheaper.
    @ Mary – This is another great tip. I try to run my lunch errands all on one day so I don’t waste a lot of gas driving around at lunch as well. It’s great that you’re using the extra time for some exercise! Great inspiration.

  7. Missy

    I think this was a faulty survey. 72% may not have made any changes but how many of them have tried and it has been denied. Making a change isn’t always as easy as the employee choosing to do something. I can’t ride my bike 18 miles to work and there isn’t public transit either (big boo!). I would love longer hours for a shorter work week. That would save me tons, but the manager won’t buy it.

  8. Tiffany | Express Job Blogger

    @ Missy – You bring up a great point. Just because many people have not been able to make changes doesn’t mean we don’t want to! Sounds like a great idea for a follow-up poll.
    However, we can’t ignore our part in making these decisions. Sure, we can’t all tell our employer we will be working a 4-day week (myself included), but the reality is, we do have choices we can make. We aren’t powerless. It’s not all up to our employer. For example, carpooling is probably much less convenient, but it’s an option many of us ignore that could help us save costs. I also mentioned a friend who actually moved closer to work – that’s a big personal sacrifice, but it was something my friend could control.
    That, of course, doesn’t mean employers shouldn’t do all they can. But it’s important to realize that we play a big role in the process as well.

  9. Marilyn

    I have not made any changes to my work schedule because I am a manager and need to be here every day. But what I have done is to reduce the number of miscellaneous trips to Rochester for shopping, errands, etc. My husband and I used to go to Rochester (70 miles round trip)one evening a week to run a few errands, do some “window shopping” and go out for supper. But with the gas prices getting so high, we now go once a month. It’s not nearly as much fun because we always have a lot of errands to do so some nights it is too late to go out for supper and there is no time to browse around in stores and “window shop”. So in the end, the stores are really losing out too because we are buying a lot less spur of the moment purchases.

  10. Tiffany | Express Job Blogger

    @ Marilyn – I’ve made similar changes in the amount of driving I do outside of work. It’s interesting that you note how this affects stores. Not only am I driving less, I am shopping less, too. That all has an effect on business.
    I saw a report the other day that said even the wealthiest in our nation (who account for 25% of our economy’s spending) are cutting back, too!

  11. Susan

    The survey did not have the option of changing vehicles for greater fuel efficiency, which I have done, gaining 3 miles per gallon plus some additional vehicle options I had been wanting for a few years. No, I didn’t go out and buy a hybrid, but I found greater efficiency in a car that cost less than $10,000!

  12. Michelle

    I live in a very small town with very little local employment opportunity. I recently had to find a new job since my old job was going through a corporate buyout and our office was closing completely. Even while job hunting, I only had one interview within 15 minutes of home and I was not hired. The job I was hired for is wonderful and I love it but I’m still almost 45 minutes from home one-way.
    We’re just having to cut out unnecessary trips too. I don’t go out of town as much to shop either. It’s not just the stores that are suffering though. I have two little boys who don’t understand why we don’t visit our out of town friends and family as much. We have increased our emailing and online chats with them but sitting in front of a computer is definitely not the same as my kids being able to spend quality time with family and friends they were previously close to.

  13. Tiffany | Express Job Blogger

    @ Michelle – A long commute is an unavoidable reality for many of us. I once commuted an hour one way for several years. I ended up moving closer to my job. But that’s not always an option, especially with kids in school!
    The idea of cutting back other driving is just a necessity many of us face. We are fortunate, though, as you point out, that at least we can stay connected with people online.

  14. Sean MacPhee

    After too many break ins and parking hassles I gave up my car for public transportation and a bicycle about a decade ago. I have come to enjoy all of the people and places I get to see and experience from the change. Wizzing by in a car all the time prevents you from a lot of things;admiring a nice flower garden, saying hello to the neighbors, discovering a new place to eat or drink at…
    If you really need a car these days you can just rent one anyway. Of course, this comes from a single person w/o kids.

  15. tosha

    I do agree that this poll is faulty–i would love to make a change, but i am unable to.
    I have to drive 45 miles to work everyday. I cannot work from home, or work a 4 day work week because of the type of work i do. I would like to carpool, but no one lives in my area. I would like to move, but due to my custody situation with my child, i have to live in the town where she goes to school and where her father is only 20 miles away. I really have no choice but to live there. The best i can do is get a new car; although it costs more money per month than my current vehicle, i hope to get it back in the long run.

  16. sharon johnson

    I take a different route home (10 minutes longer and 5 miles shorter) no hills to climb.
    I also suggested the 4 day work week. My supervisor said it never worked before because his past experience at another company proved that people tend to leave earlier – especially on thurs and tend to treat thursday as if it is Friday. Everyone else in my office gets their mileage paid. I am the only one without a company vehicle.

  17. Dina

    I have no clue what I was thinking. I quit my job in search of a better one. My other job was closer to home, 15 minutes versus an hour. I made more on the hour. Not to mention, the job is a lot worse. I think I may have a screw loose somewhere?

  18. Thomas

    I took a job that was closer to my home, 40 miles roundtrip versus 12 miles round trip. I went from filling my Pickup truck up once a week to once every three weeks, thats saving me about $150 every two weeks. I also use my spouses car whenever I can (better MPG).

  19. Justin

    I now live closer to my job than having a job all the way across town, but by taking a job closer to my home I have took a paycut from what I used to make. Which I think most are doing, they have to make movements in their lives so that they won’t go broke trying to make it to and from work each day. For one it’s not right for a person to be forced to work close to home because most of the jobs that really pay good are out far and most of the money has to go towards the tank, but hey it’s part of the wowrld.

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