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this post was submitted on 09 Aug 2023
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Technology
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I think you can factor it in along with all other benefits. Employees absolutely consider commute time when applying for work. If companies want employees in office and are trying to compete with employers that allow remote work, they need to start making a case for why the commute is worth it. Tech companies tried doing that with ping pong tables and beer, but now that remote work is so common that doesn't carry much weight. Compensating an employee for commute time in some way seems like a reasonable benefit that companies should consider offering.
Mileage compensation is one thing, but not including it in hours you work. I guarantee that would create resentment and hostility in every workplace.
I think that differentiation is only a difference in how the benefit would be calculated. It would be quite a departure from the current state of things, but it's worth being part of the discussion.
Assuming we're all compensated at different rates based on our value to the company, then one person's time is more valuable than another person's time. As the employee, commute time and work time might as well be conflated since it's time spent away from the rest of our lives. It's different for the company, of course, since commute time is not productive work time, but if we're talking about this as benefits that companies might offer in order to retain or attract employees then I don't think the company's opinion matters.
For the sake of discussion, let’s say it’s now the law to compensate workers for their commutes. Wouldn’t this incentivize employers to hire only people who live close? Further limiting the working opportunities of rural workers doesn’t seem intuitive.