When it comes to finding a new ecommerce job, how does the work commute factor into your decision? Let’s be honest, a bad morning commute doesn’t exactly set you up for a positive productive day. Whether it’s delays, cancellations, overcrowded trains or angry fellow commuters, it’s easy to be affected by your journey.
Even if the commute runs smoothly, longer travel times can begin to take their toll. Ultimately, a commute must be considered an extension, or even part of, the working day. If the commute keeps you from personal plans, it will affect your work-life balance. That’s why the team at cranberry panda will always make sure the commuting time is considered.
One of our main questions within our 2019 ecommerce salary survey & insights report is all about the commute. How long does it take? How important is the location when finding a new role? We will of course look at the work-life balance aspect, as this has been a big focus for us in 2019.
*The results shown are the commute times each way.
The majority of our respondents have a commute that is up to an hour each way. As we can see, 31% commute for an hour or more each way, which hasn’t changed from 2018. For those who said ‘other’, one said it was dependent on the client’s location (contractor) while others work from home.
It should be noted that 76% of our respondents work within London – perhaps with so many routes to get to the office, a commute of 30 – 60 minutes is quite a normality.
For the third year running, the underground is the most common mode of transport for our respondents at 46%...not surprising considering the majority work in London. In second place is national rail at 38%, which is a 9% increase from last year. It seems more people are commuting into London as the years go on. (Note: respondents could select more than one mode of transport/select all that apply to them.)
Every year, we ask our respondents what is essential to them when finding a new role. We cover aspects such as salary, benefits, company culture and, of course, location! While location can also refer to the area surrounding the office, the places to go and the office itself, it’s safe to say the length of time it takes to get there is a huge factor.
Here’s what our respondents shared with us…
Now for the big question…is striking a perfect work-life balance too hard when the commute is too long and overbearing? We will look at each of the commute lengths we had on our questionnaire and see if the respondents who picked them are happy with their work-life balance.
Is your commute a breeze or are you desperate to move somewhere closer to home? We hope these insights help you position yourself and your career goals in the ecommerce industry. For more industry insights, you can download the full salary survey report below!