Il lavoro a distanza significa meno spostamenti, ma più tempo per lavorare

Secondo un nuovo studio, le persone che lavorano a distanza trascorrono gran parte del tempo che prima andava al pendolarismo a fare più lavoro.  

Ricercatori dietro il documento di lavoro del National Bureau of Economic Research, Risparmio di tempo quando si lavora da casa, estimate that people who WFH use 40% of their commute-time savings on working on primary and secondary jobs. A further 34% goes to leisure, and 11% goes to caregiving. 

"Questi risultati suggeriscono che gran parte del tempo risparmiato ritorna ai datori di lavoro e che anche i bambini e altri beneficiari di assistenza ne traggono vantaggio", scrivono i ricercatori. 

The researchers used data collected from 18,995 workers surveyed in 27 countries between 2021 and 2022. The average time savings across countries amounted to 72 minutes per day, which used to go towards unpaid hours commuting. In the US, time savings when WFH amounted to 55 minutes, compared to 99-102 minutes across India, Japan, and China. The US was at the low end of scale of time saved by WFH. 

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The US was fairly close to the average in each of the metrics. Those in the US who WFH spent 42% of their former commute time on work, 35% on leisure, and 8% on caregiving. 

Nations that spent the most of the extra time from WFH on work included Taiwan (53%), Singapore (53%), Malaysia (53%), India (47%), and China (46%). Respondents in Austria, Spain, and Germany allocated more than 40% of their time savings to leisure. 

However, the study noted the benefits of remote work can go further. The full private value of working from home is greater for several reasons, it notes, pointing out that avoiding the commute brings financial savings as well as time savings. Workers spend less time grooming and getting ready for work when they WFH, while working from home also offers more flexibility in time used over the day, and greater personal autonomy. 

"Il risultato è che il valore privato diretto del lavoro da casa, diciamo, due o tre giorni alla settimana è maggiore di quanto suggerito dalle valutazioni del tempo di viaggio applicate al risparmio di tempo per il pendolarismo", afferma la ricerca.

A similar study by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York last year found that Americans were allocating their saved commute time toward work, leisure activities, and sleeping, but they had reduced overall paid work hours because they were doing other activities, such as sport and leisure. 

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Most CEOs want staff back at the office and are eyeing 2025 as the year the 9-to-5 day at the office makes a return, according to a KPMG survey of 1,325 CEOs.