What makes a work commute less stressful?

New research has uncovered a direct link between employee mental health and the ways people commute

IF YOU HAVE an already busy schedule, is it better to commute by car, or to take an alternative ‘active transportation’ method like walking, taking transit or biking?

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New research from the Université de Montréal came to a somewhat surprising conclusion on that question, finding that those taking active transportation were more stressed, and were experiencing higher levels of work-life conflict — possibly flipping the script on some of the benefits we hear touted on active commuting.

The explanation comes down to time. Since the study looked primarily at Canadian employees, active commutes could be challenging logistically and cover long distances. If you have to spend more time on your active commute, your chance of experiencing work-life conflict was higher.

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“What I found is that public transportation actually brings more work-family conflict, and therefore creates more stress and more psychological distress,” said the lead author, Annie Barreck. “When you have work and family responsibilities, the time that you spend commuting, and the more time you spend commuting, gives you less time for other activities like social and family activities.”

In other words, driving a car may come with its own headaches, but on the whole, car drivers tend to have less conflict, according to the study. This is not necessarily universal, though. “Somebody who uses the train here is not the same as somebody who uses the train in Europe,” Barreck told HRReporter.

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Barreck doesn’t see her report as a knock against public transit, however. Instead, she thinks it adds to the argument that public transit needs to be built with more coordination between the transit authorities and major employers, and that the ideal form of transit is whichever one causes the least stress for the rider.

“Public transport does not facilitate the transition between home and work and from work to home for workers,” she told CityNews Montreal. “When we look at commuting with that lens — how people are able to manage their work and family responsibilities — public transportation seems to add stress.” Kieran Delamont