Hello.
For a while now we have all been hearing the same sentence: “Remote work is winding down, the return to the office is starting.”
Fine. But there is a small detail: what is it actually like to go to the office every day?
Traffic, crowds, transfers, late shuttles… and that feeling that arrives before the day has even begun: “I am already tired today.” This is exactly the point where commuting stops being a private problem.
An employee who is worn out before work starts
When someone opens their laptop by 09:00 every morning, they are not actually starting their day. They are arriving from a one- to two-hour struggle that is already behind them.
That journey directly affects:
- Energy through the day
- How much patience they have in meetings
- Focus
- And even the question, “how long will I stay here?”
In other words, the commute is a quiet but powerful employee experience factor.
So what can HR do about it? 🤔
HR’s role is no longer checking “is anyone coming to the office?” — it is managing the experience of coming to the office.
1. Make office days meaningful
Is there really a reason for everyone to be in the office every day?
- Is there a meeting?
- Is the point interaction within the team?
- Or is it just “let’s be there”?
If the purpose is not clear, the office is dead weight for the employee.
2. Do not leave flexibility on paper
There is a hybrid model, but:
- Start times are fixed
- End times do not move
- The number of office days is mandatory in practice
That is not hybrid, that is half a disappointment.
Real flexibility looks like:
- Hour-based start and end times
- A clear definition of what is expected on office days
- An answer to “why are we in the office today?”
3. Treat the commute as a benefit
Meal cards used to be the conversation; this is the next one.
- Travel allowances
- Shuttle alternatives
- Public transport contributions
- Days that start later at the office but begin more productively
These look small, but they make a big difference in how people feel.
4. Measure the commute
If we are measuring employee experience, we cannot skip this part.
Simple but powerful questions to ask:
- How many hours a week are you travelling?
- Are the days you come in genuinely worth it?
- Does the journey motivate you, or drain you?
Those answers are a new kind of insight for HR.
HR now has to manage not only the time spent at work but the time lost getting there. The commute is this era’s invisible benefit.
And yes, this is now clearly on HR’s strategic agenda for 2026.
Take care.
